The Sensex declined sharply for the second straight session today, ending 249 points down on dampened Asian and European sentiment. The market opened on a firm note thanks to overnight gains in the US, but profit booking scuttled any chance of a rally and the the 30-share index finally closed at 17,137 points. Markets saw heavy selling pressure during the second part of the session after Europe opened weak. The wide-based 50-share Nifty Index of the National Stock Exchange settled at 5,148.50 points, down by 1.42 per cent.