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prevails over law in case of mercy petitions  Precedent prevails
over law in case of mercy petitions  February 12, 2013 15:29 IST
While convicts can move a petition challenging the delay in
deciding a mercy petition, the court can only seek an
explanation; it cannot direct the President to fix a time frame,
reports Vicky Nanjappa  The hanging of Azfal Guru has raised
many debates. The immediate reaction after his hanging was that
there was a petition pending before the Supreme Court
questioning the delay in deciding on his mercy petition and
hence the execution was wrong.  Of late there have been many
cases involving a death sentence going up before the Union and
state cabinet for approval. There are three instances in which
even high courts have stayed sentences on the ground that
approval from the Union or state cabinets have not been sought.
All these, however, are precedents and not a law a