Correct Option (a)
Statement I is correct. Article 72 of the Constitution empowers the President of India to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, remissions, and commutations. The Supreme Court, in cases such as Maru Ram v. Union of India (1980) and Epuru Sudhakar v. Government of A.P. (2006), has held that the exercise of this executive power is subject to limited judicial review. Courts can intervene if the decision is found to be arbitrary, mala fide, based on irrelevant considerations, or taken without due application of mind. However, the judiciary does not assess the merits of the pardon or substitute its own judgment.
Incorrect Options:
Statement II is incorrect. Article 74(1) of the Constitution mandates that the President shall act in accordance with the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. The pardoning power under Article 72 is not an independent discretionary power of the President. Mercy petitions are processed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the President acts on the binding recommendations of the Central Government. Therefore, the President cannot exercise this power without the advice of the Central Government.
Options (b), (c), and (d) are incorrect because Statement I is a correct assertion regarding the limited judicial review of the President's pardoning power, while Statement II incorrectly suggests the President can act independently of the Central Government's advice.