Normally, when a mercy petition is filed, the home ministry sends it to the state government for comments. After factoring these in, it sends its recommendation to the President. In Afzal’s case, did home minister Shinde ask for CM Omar Abdullah’s comments? If so, what did he say? Did Shinde work against Omar’s comments? The home minister’s recommendations are binding on the President. The latter can request him to reconsider his advice once. But if the minister reiterates it, the door closes. Pranab did send the file back for reconsideration. When it came back to him the second time, he signed the death warrant. What he also did was not exercise the other Indian option: sitting on the file.