Plea in SC seeks framing of guidelines for time-bound disposal of mercy petitions

A plea seeking direction to the Centre to frame specific procedure, rules and guidelines for time-bound disposal of mercy petitions was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

It also sought a direction to the Centre to fix a time-frame within which a mercy petition has to be decided and "the consequences of not disposing of the mercy petitions within such time frame".

The plea, filed by advocate Shiv Kumar Tripathi, said since there is no specified written procedure and guidelines for disposing of mercy petitions within a time-bound manner, it results in "arbitrariness" in their disposal.

"It also leads to undue delay in disposal of the mercy petitions and thus giving rise to public unrest and creates doubts and suspicion in the mind of public at large," it said.

The plea said in some cases, due to the prolonged delay in disposal of mercy petitions, convicts had taken benefit and got their death penalty converted into life imprisonment.

"The victims and their families feel cheated in such cases. For effective disposal of the mercy petition in a time bound manner and for transparency therein it is must that specific procedure and guidelines for disposing the mercy petitions within a time bound period, are immediately framed and implemented," it said.

The petition said that power to grant pardon is an extra ordinary power and it has to be exercised by the concerned authority with "great care and caution".

"The principles of natural justice demands that this power shall be exercised uniformly in each and every case. Its beneficiaries ought not to be the extraordinary persons but all deserving individuals," it said, adding that delay in disposal of mercy petition by the President is "another big problem".

It said that in August 2008, the Ministry of Home Affairs while replying to a petition had given information to the Central Information Commission (CIC) that there is no written procedure to deal with mercy petition.

The plea said that in United States of America, a convict can apply to the President for pardon on a prescribed form, which is easily available along with necessary instructions that are required to be followed.

It said that in England, if a person is willing to seek pardon, he or she has to file an application before the Home Secretary.

"The framing of rules is necessary for the purpose of transparency," the plea said, adding that absence of specified procedure and guidelines for time-bound disposal of mercy petitions is resulting in "arbitrariness and discrimination" in their disposal.