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

कार्यपालिका के प्रमुख की नियुक्ति में किसका निर्णय अंतिम होता है?

विधान सभा अध्यक्ष की योग्यता किस आधार पर निर्धारित होती है?

Who has the power to remove a Governor from office in India?

Which article of the Indian Constitution provides for the amendment process?

संसद के अध्यक्ष को किस नाम से जाना जाता है?

What is the minimum age for a person to become the Chief Minister of a state in India?

Which of the following is NOT a feature of the Indian federal system?

कार्यपालिका के प्रमुख के रूप में किसे नियुक्त किया जाता है?

Who is the guardian of the Indian Constitution?

Which of the following is a feature of the Indian Parliament?