SPECIAL POWERS OF PRESIDENT
INDIA

For future reference:
President Saab : Dada Ji
*Offense lena strictly mana hai. Baaki sab allowed hai. Let'sssssss gooooooo

How's The Josh?

• Punishment or sentence for an offence against the Union
Government
• Punishment or sentence by Court Martial
• Death Sentence.
Art 72- Pardoning Powers
The President can pardon the following
Reprieve
Respite
Remission
Commutation
Pardon

Pardon
Completely free
• Disqualifications
"Pardon" is equivalent to "Ganga nahana".
• All sentences
• Punishments

Commutation
Higher form of
punishment
Lower form of
punishment
(Death sentence) (Life imprisonment)

Remission
Reducing the period of sentence without changing its degree
Rigorous imprisonment
for 10 years
Rigorous imprisonment
for 7 years

Respite
• Reduced time period of sentence due to some special fact, like,
disability of the convict or the pregnancy of a female convict
• Mostly focused on women & children

• Stay on execution of the sentence for a temporary period
(especially death sentences).
• Its main purpose is to allow the convict to have time to seek mercy
from the President.
• The duration & degree of the sentence remains the same, the execution
is just put on hold for a temporary period
Reprieve

• The pardoning powers of the President are exercised on the advice
of Union Cabinet.
Some Facts-
• The pardoning powers of President are independent of Judiciary
but are subject to Judicial review (only if deemed discriminatory)
• If one mercy petition of a convict has been rejected, he cannot
file another petition.

Art 111- Veto Powers
• A bill which is passed by the Parliament can become an act
only if it receives the assent of the President.
• The President has the veto power over the bills passed by the
Parliament, i.e., he can withhold his assent to the bills
• The two main objectives of
President's veto power are-
1. to prevent hasty and ill
considered legislation by the
Parliament, &
2. to prevent a legislation which
may be unconstitutional.

Bill Rajya Sabha
Lok Sabha
AbsoluteVeto SuspensiveVeto PocketVeto
Sent to President
Act

Absolute Veto
• The President withholds the assent i.e. says
"no"immediately.
• The bill ends and doesn't become an act

Suspensive Veto
• The President returns the bill for reconsideration
ofthe Parliament
• However, if the bill is passed again by the
Parliament,
with or without amendments, the President has to
give his assent his assent
• Suspensive veto is overridden by
the re-passage ofthe bill by ordinary
majority
• The President cannot exercise
suspensive veto in caseof Money Bill.

Pocket Veto
• The President neither gives assent
nor rejects norreturns the bill
• The President, simply keeps the bill pending for an
Indefinite period.
• The President can exercise
this veto power as the
constitution doesn't prescribe
any time-limit within which he
has to take the decision with
respect to a bill presentedto
him for his assent