Legal notice seeks info on presidential clemency over 33 years

A legal notice has been issued requesting the publication and provision of a list detailing the number of individuals whose prison sentences have been commuted, suspended, or pardoned by the President from January 1991 to July 2024.

Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Md Omar Faruq sent the notice on Sunday to the Home Secretary, Law Secretary, Cabinet Secretary, and Secretary of the President's Office.

The notice demands that the list of names be provided within 15 days of its receipt.

The notice emphasises that the public has the right to know the source of the President's pardon power, the legal process involved, and the criteria for granting clemency.

It requested the list of individuals who were pardoned or had their sentences suspended by the President during this 33-year period, along with the process by which these decisions were made.

The notice also warns that if the requested information is not provided within the specified timeframe, a writ petition will be filed with the High Court.