In Brief
Vinay Sharma, a death-row convict in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape case, petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the President's rejection of his mercy petition. He argued that relevant medical and Social Investigation Reports were not placed before the President, that he suffered torture and mental illness in prison, and that he was held in illegal solitary confinement. The Court found that all required materials were indeed forwarded to the President, who carefully considered them; that prison conditions, though regrettable, do not provide grounds for mercy review; and that no bias or procedural defect vitiated the rejection. The Court dismissed the petition, reaffirming that judicial review of mercy decisions is strictly limited to narrow grounds of procedural impropriety.
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