Mercy to dead convict: President seeks answers from home ministry

President Pratibha Patil has expressed her displeasure with the Union home ministry for forwarding the mercy plea of a convict -- who died five years ago -- for a presidential pardon.

Bandu Tidke, who was sentenced to death for raping and murdering a 16-year-old girl, was sentenced to death by trial court in Bagalkot in 2005.

Tidke was a HIV positive patient and died in 2007 in a government hospital in Belgaum.

"The President is displeased. We have taken cognisance of the lack of proper documents being forwarded to the President. We depend upon the cases filed by the Union home ministry and it should have cross-checked the information before forwarding the case. It is also the duty of the state government as well jail authorities to bring such information to the notice of the nodal ministry," said an aide of the President on Saturday evening.

According to sources, "Pratibha Patil commuted the death sentence of 35 persons in 19 different cases to life imprisonment. She also rejected the mercy pleas of the three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Beant Singh assassination case and one other case".

Rashtrapati Bhavan will now seek a detailed explanation from the Union home ministry, the state government and Belgaum jail on how incorrect information was provided to the President.

Home Minister P Chidambaram has sought Tidke's file and an investigation may be ordered in the matter.