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Besides Yakub Memon, others on death row denied President Pranab Mukherjee’s mercy

This year, President Mukherjee has rejected the mercy petitions of three convicts while commuting one death sentence to life.

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President Pranab Mukherjee. (Source: Reuters)

President Pranab Mukherjee has rejected 33 mercy petitions in 24 cases, including 20 in his first year alone. This year, President Mukherjee has rejected the mercy petitions of three convicts while commuting one death sentence to life.

Since the January 21, 2014, landmark judgment in the Shatrughan Chauhan case by a bench led by then Chief Justice of India P Sathashivam, 20 death-row convicts have had their sentences commuted to life, including 15 of the 33 whose petitions President Mukherjee has rejected. Among those sentenced before Mukherjee’s tenure are three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination — V Sriharan (Murugan), T Suthendraraja (Santhan) and A G Perarivalan (Arivu) — on February 18, 2014. Devender Pal Singh Bhullar’s death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on March 31, 2014.

Some of those whose petitions were rejected by President Mukherjee:

Surendra Koli
The convict of the Nithari serial killings and rapes of 2005-06. Koli, who worked in the household of Moninder Singh Pandher, was sentenced to death in five cases by the trial court. In one case, Allahabad High Court confirmed the sentence in 2009; the Supreme Court upheld it in 2011. President rejected his mercy petition on July 20, 2014; his review petition dismissed four days later.

Status: Commuted to life by Allahabad High Court. Centre has challenged it in SC.

Seema Mohan Gavit and Renuka Shinde
The sisters were sentenced to death by a Kolhapur court on June 29, 2001, for kidnapping 13 children and killing nine of them between 1990 and 1996. Their mother, Anjana Bai, also accused, died in 1997 while Renuka’s husband Kiran Shinde turned approver. Sentence confirmed by Bombay High Court in 2004 and upheld by Supreme Court in 2006. Their mercy petition was rejected on July 7, 2014.
Status: Writ petition pending in Bombay High Court

Jagdish
A resident of Manasa, MP, convicted of murdering his wife and five minor children in 2006. Sentence confirmed by high court, upheld by Supreme Court in 2009; mercy petition rejected on July 7, 2014.
Status: Review pending in Supreme Court

Rajendra Prahlad Rao Wasnik
Convicted of raping and killing three-year-old girl Vandana in Maharashtra, he was sentenced by an Amravati court in 2008. Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court confirmed (2009) and Supreme Court upheld (2012) death sentence, President rejected mercy petition on July 31, 2014.
Status: Review pending in Supreme Court

Ajay Kumar Pal
Domestic help with an Indian Forest Service officer in Ranchi, arrested in 2003 for killing the officer’s wife, their three children and another help. Death sentence by special CBI court in 2007, confirmed by Jharkhand High Court in 2007, upheld by Supreme Court in 2010. President rejected Pal’s mercy petition on October 27, 2013.
Status: Commuted to life by Supreme Court on December 12, 2014.

Holiram Bordoloi
Convicted of leading the killing of three persons, including a six-year-old, at Nayagaon in Assam and sentenced to death in 2003. Supreme Court confirmed sentence on April, 8, 2005. Mercy petition, pending before President for nine years, finally rejected on July 5, 2014.
Status: Writ petition pending with Gauhati High Court

Saibanna Ningappa Natikar
Karnataka resident, initially sentenced to life for murdering his wife, was on parole in 1994 when, suspecting infidelity, he killed his second wife and her daughter. Subsequent death sentence confirmed by Supreme Court in 2005; mercy petition rejected by President on January 4, 2013.
Status: Writ petition pending in Karnataka High Court

Dharampal
Initially sentenced to 10 years in jail for rape in Sonepat, Haryana, in 1991. While on parole in 1993, he and his brother Nirmal killed the rape victim along with her parents and two brothers. Death sentence awarded to brothers in 1997, confirmed by Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1998. In 1999, Supreme Court upheld Dharmpal’s death sentence and commuted Nirmal’s sentence to life. President rejected Dharampal’s mercy petition on March 25, 2013.
Status: Commuted to life by high court

B A Umesh
A resident of Basappa Malige of Karnataka, the constable with District Armed Reserve was sentenced in 2006 of the rape and murder of a 37-year-old woman. Karnataka High Court confirmed and then Supreme Court upheld (2011) death sentence; President rejected his mercy petition on May 12, 2013.
Status: Review pending in Supreme Court

Sonu Sardar
Killed five members of a scrap dealer’s family, including a woman and two children, in Chhattisgarh on November 26, 2004, after he had entered the house to rob it. Death sentence by trial court upheld by Chhattisgarh High Court and confirmed by Supreme Court in 2012. President rejected his mercy petition on May 5, 2014; on June 19, 2014, the Supreme Court stayed the execution and referred the issue to a constitution bench.
Status: Writ petition pending with Delhi High Court

First uploaded on: 30-07-2015 at 05:06 IST

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