The purpose of the Maharashtra government's initiative to establish a cell to handle death row inmates' mercy petitions

The Maharashtra government created a dedicated cell under the Additional Secretary (Home) on Wednesday, March 27, to handle death row inmates' requests for mercy. The goal of this initiative is to guarantee that these petitions are handled effectively.

The Supreme Court's December 2024 decision, which required all states to establish such cells, prompted this action. The Court pointed out that people who are awaiting execution may experience dehumanization if death sentences are not carried out promptly. This decision came up when the Maharashtra state government was considering an appeal to commute the death sentences of two people found guilty of the 2007 rape and murder of a Wipro BPO employee in Pune.

The Bombay High Court subsequently lowered the two offenders' initial death sentences to 35 years of life in prison. Citing the inmates' nearly four-year wait for their mercy petitions, the Supreme Court maintained the High Court's ruling.

According to a Maharashtra Home Department order released on Wednesday, a meeting was held on February 30, 2025, to discuss the creation of this specialized cell in compliance with the Supreme Court's order. According to the order, a thorough discussion about the creation of this specialized unit was held.

Purshottam Borate and Pradeep Kokade, the prisoners in the Pune case, petitioned the governor for mercy on July 10, 2015, but their requests were turned down on March 29, 2016. On May 26, 2017, they also made an appeal to the President of India, but their requests were denied.

After a lengthy delay, the Pune Sessions Judge was notified by the Superintendent of Police of the situation, and on April 10, 2019, four years after the mercy petitions were submitted, the death warrant was issued. Three days before the execution date of June 24, 2019, the Bombay High Court stayed the death sentence, which was subsequently reduced to 35 years in prison.