The Supreme Court today has commuted the death sentence of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, convicted for a 1993 blast in Delhi, to life imprisonment. Last week the Centre had said it had no objection to his being spared the death sentence.

A four-judge bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam granted life to Bhullar on the ground of delay on the part of the government in deciding his mercy plea and also on the basis of his present medical condition.

In January, the court had stopped Bhullar's execution and had sought a medical report on his mental health. His family has pleaded that the 49-year-old is mentally unfit and thus should not be hanged.

Mr Bhullar was convicted of triggering a bomb blast in Delhi in 1993 that killed nine people. He had applied to the President for clemency in January 2003. His request was rejected eight years later.