Killers of India's Rajiv Gandhi lose clemency bid
Indian President Pratibha Patil has rejected mercy pleas from three Tamils convicted of the 1991 assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
In theory, the ruling paves the way for their execution, officials say.
However, there are a growing number of people on death row who have exhausted all legal appeals but whose sentences have not been carried out.
Correspondents say bureaucratic delays and a shortage of hangmen have contributed to the backlog....