Topic Details (Notes format)

Pardoning Power of the President (Article 72)

Subject: Polity

Book: Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth

Allows the President to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, or remission of punishments, especially in death sentence cases or offenses under union jurisdiction. This prerogative upholds humanitarian considerations and correctional justice. Though exercised on the Council of Ministers’ advice, controversies arise when mercy petitions face political influence or indefinite delays. Judicial review is limited to checking procedural arbitrariness, not the mercy’s merits. Similarly, Governors hold pardoning powers for state offenses (Article 161). This constitutional device ensures scope for compassion in the justice system, balancing deterrence with mercy and acknowledging that rigid application of law may sometimes require humane intervention.

Practice Questions

Which of the following is a power of the Vice President of India?

Which of the following is the longest-serving political party in India?

राज्यसभा की कार्यप्रणाली किस पर आधारित है?

न्यायपालिका की संरचना में किसका प्रमुख योगदान होता है?

उच्च न्यायालयों का गठन किस आधार पर किया जाता है?

What is the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha?

भारतीय संविधान में नागरिकों के मौलिक अधिकार किस दस्तावेज़ में वर्णित हैं?

राष्ट्रपति की अनुपस्थिति में संसद में किस सत्र को आयोजित किया जाता है?

विधेयक पारित करने की प्रक्रिया किस प्रावधान के अंतर्गत आती है?

Who among the following was the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha?