In Brief
Vinay Sharma, a death-row convict in the 2012 Nirbhaya case (Delhi gang-rape), filed a writ petition challenging the President's rejection of his mercy petition under Article 72 of the Constitution. He contended that relevant materials—including medical reports, social investigation reports, and RTI disclosures—were not placed before the President, and alleged torture, mental illness, and illegal solitary confinement. The Supreme Court dismissed his petition, holding that judicial review of mercy petitions is limited to grounds of non-application of mind, mala fides, extraneous considerations, exclusion of relevant materials, or arbitrariness. The Court found all relevant documents were placed before the President, and the decision was made after careful consideration. Mental illness and prison conditions alone do not vitiate a properly considered mercy decision.
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