President Patil Pardons 30 Death Sentences

While ruling on Murmu's sentencing, the Supreme Court had said "His crime is an illustrative and most exemplary case to be treated as the 'rarest of rare cases' in which death is and should be the rule, with no exception whatsoever."

Despite the mocking remarks from the Supreme Court, Murmu has now escaped the gallows. But there have also been cases where Patil thought it fit to turn down the mercy petition upholding death sentence awarded to five individuals.

Those whose mercy petitions were rejected include the assassins of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi -- Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar who killed nine people in an effort to assassinate Congress leader Maninderjit Singh Bitta and Mahendra Nath Das of Assam who had murdered the then secretary of Guwahati Truck Drivers Association, Harakanta Das.

However, on the other hand, for 10 years the government has been sitting on the mercy plea of Parliament attacker Afzal Guru. That forced the Supreme Court to take note of government's pick and choose policy over presidential pardon.