Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India - The Constitution of India 2024 (English Version)↗
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Article 72: Power of President to grant pardons, etc.
Gives the President power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, remissions, or suspend, remit, or commute sentences in specified cases.
Part Vactive
In this article
What it means
Plain-language explanation
Where you notice it
Daily civic life
How it protects you
Citizen protection
What to remember
Exam and recall pointers
What it means
Simple explanation
Article 72 gives the President constitutional clemency power in important categories of criminal sentences.
Practical daily-life use
Where citizens notice it
- Relevant to mercy petitions and death sentence cases.
- Helps understand the difference between judicial conviction and executive clemency.
How it protects you
Citizen protection context
- Provides a constitutional mercy mechanism after legal process.
- Allows consideration of factors beyond the court sentence in specified cases.
Example situations
General civic examples
- A death sentence mercy petition is placed before the President.
- A sentence under Union law is considered for remission or commutation.
Citizen note
Learning note
Clemency powers follow constitutional and procedural rules and do not function as ordinary appeals.
Exam pointers
What to remember
- Compare Article 72 with Governor power under Article 161.
- Article 72 covers death sentence clemency.
Related articles
Continue learning
Article 161
Source references
Verification basis
Last reviewed against official sources: 2026-05-20.