New Delhi, March 27 (IANS): The central government Thursday admitted there was delay in the deciding death row convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar's mercy petition and the court could decide on his wife's plea for commutation of death sentence into life imprisonment.

Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati told the apex court bench headed by Chief Justice P. Sathasivam that the court in its Jan 21 verdict had already decided that inordinate and unexplained delay in deciding the mercy petition by the president is a ground for commuting death sentence into life imprisonment.

Vahanvati told the court that since the centre's plea for the recall of the Jan 21 verdict has already been dismissed, the delay in deciding the mercy petition as the ground of commuting death sentence into life imprisonment is now a law of the land.

In the wake of Vahanvati's submission, the court said it will decide the matter Monday or Tuesday.

Watch Video