INDIA: PRESIDENT MUKHERJEE REJECTS 2 MORE MERCY PETITIONS; TOTAL 30

The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee has rejected two more mercy petitions filed by the convicts awarded death punishment.
With this, President Mukherjee, whose term as head of State is about to end, has so far rejected 30 mercy petitions.President Mukherjee’s predecessor, Pratibha Patil had accepted an equal number of mercy petitions of the convicts.The two latest petitions were rejected by President Mukherjee last month, reported TOI.
Both the convicts were awarded capital punishment in rape and murder cases.
One of the cases was of a four-year-old girl from Indore who was raped and murdered by three men in 2012.
While in the other case, a Pune-based techie was gang-raped and killed by her taxi driver and his friend in 2007.
President R. Venkataraman (1987-1992) had rejected record number of mercy petitions i.e. 44 during his five-year term.
A President can grant pardon, and suspend, remit or commute a sentence of death under Article 72 of the Indian Constitution on the advice of the Council of Ministers.