SC directs state home secretaries to send mercy petition records to Centre by Feb.25

New Delhi, Feb.22 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed all all state home secretaries to send records of mercy petitions dealt with by them within three days to the Centre.

Expressing its displeasure over the delay in the handling mercy petitions of death row convicts by the Centre and the states, the apex court said that its order on the subject should be complied with by February 25.

There are about 20 mercy petitions pending before President Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

These are some of the prominent cases among pending mercy petitions.

According to an opinion piece in The Hindu, the government seems to be totally indifferent to the pathetic plight of convicts.

It said courts in all civilised states, including India's Supreme Court, have recognised that any prolonged delay in executing a death sentence can make the punishment, when it comes, inhuman and degrading.

The trauma and psychological stress, coupled with solitary confinement, creating a conflict known as the "death row phenomenon," in themselves amount to a cruel punishment, the opinion piece claims.(ANI)