{"id":87965,"date":"2026-11-04T18:09:27","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T12:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=87965"},"modified":"2026-11-04T18:10:35","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T12:40:35","slug":"death-penalty-in-india-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-11-2026\/death-penalty-in-india-2","title":{"rendered":"World Day Against the Death Penalty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Polity &amp; Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The World Day Against the Death Penalty is <strong>observed annually on October 10 <\/strong>to advocate for the <strong>abolition of capital punishment.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It was designated and first organized by the <strong>World Coalition Against the Death Penalty in 2003.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980),<\/strong> the Constitution Bench <strong>upheld the death penalty,<\/strong> but <strong>imposed specific conditions<\/strong> in the shape of guidelines for the exercise of judicial discretion.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Now in Section 393(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023,<\/strong> life imprisonment was to be the norm, and <strong>death sentence could be imposed only for \u201cspecial reasons\u201d.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Courts were to<strong> weigh the circumstances of the crime<\/strong> alongside those of the accused, and impose death only where life imprisonment was <strong>\u201cunquestionably foreclosed\u201d.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Death Sentence in&nbsp; India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In 2024, for the second consecutive year<\/strong>, the Supreme Court of India <strong>didn&#8217;t confirm any death sentence,<\/strong> revealed a report from <strong>Project 39A of the National Law University Delhi.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prisoners on Death Row in India<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"726431\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #726431;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"409\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image.webp\" alt=\"death sentence in\u00a0 india\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-87966\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image.webp 409w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-300x248.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 409px) 100vw, 409px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In India, capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is carried out by <strong>&#8220;hanging by the neck until death&#8221;.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Several countries like Portugal, the Netherlands, France and Australia <\/strong>have moved towards <strong>abolishing executions<\/strong>, countries like the<strong> US, Iran, China and India <\/strong>have retained a <strong>legal framework <\/strong>to enable the death penalty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Capital punishment, which the Supreme Court has repeatedly stated should be used only in the <strong>rarest of rare cases, was last carried out in 2020 in the Nirbhaya case.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In 2025, trial courts sentenced 128 people to death.<\/strong> In 95.18% of the cases where compliance could be assessed, the <strong>procedure prescribed in Manoj v. State of Madhya Pradesh (2022) was not followed.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u2018Rarest of rare\u2019 Doctrine in India:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>1972 &#8211; Jagmohan Singh vs. State of U.P.: <\/strong>The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the death penalty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1980 &#8211; Bachan Singh vs. State of Punjab: <\/strong>The Court introduced the <strong>\u2018rarest of rare\u2019 doctrine, <\/strong>stating the death penalty should be imposed only in exceptional cases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1983 &#8211; Machhi Singh vs. State of Punjab: <\/strong>The Supreme Court clarified the \u2018rarest of rare\u2019 doctrine and identified<strong> five categories of crimes where the death penalty may be justified:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Manner of committing the murder: <\/strong>Extremely brutal and dastardly murders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Motive of the murder: <\/strong>Committed for a motive showing total depravity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Socially abhorrent nature of the crime:<\/strong> When a murder targets a minority community and raises social wrath.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Magnitude of the crime<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Victim:<\/strong> When the victim is particularly vulnerable, such as a child, woman, or elderly person.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In Manoj v. State of Madhya Pradesh (2022), <\/strong>it prescribed<strong> \u2018practical guidelines\u2019 <\/strong>to operationalise the collection of information on the accused, requiring the state to produce mental health evaluations, reports on conduct in custody, and a probation officer\u2019s report.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In Vasanta Sampat Dupare v. Union of India (2025),<\/strong> it held that a sentencing hearing which is compliant to Manoj flows from<strong> Articles 14 and 21.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A death sentence imposed without one is<strong> unconstitutional and can be reopened under Article 32 even after it has attained finality.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns Related to Death Penalty<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Risk of wrongful convictions:<\/strong> There is a possibility of executing innocent individuals due to faulty investigations, unreliable evidence, false testimonies or judicial errors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of conclusive deterrence:<\/strong> There is no conclusive evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than life imprisonment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Irreversibility of punishment:<\/strong> Unlike other punishments, a death sentence cannot be reversed once carried out, even if new evidence later establishes the person&#8217;s innocence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Psychological suffering:<\/strong> Prolonged uncertainty, repeated appeals and years spent on death row can cause severe psychological distress to prisoners.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Framework on Death Penalities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): <\/strong>Allows the death penalty in limited circumstances but stresses that nothing in this article should delay or prevent the abolition of capital punishment by any State Party.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1984 &#8211; UN Safeguards: <\/strong>The UN Economic and Social Council adopted Safeguards guaranteeing the rights of individuals facing the death penalty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1989 &#8211; Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR: <\/strong>The UN General Assembly adopted this protocol, urging member states to abolish the death penalty.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>States that ratified agreed not to execute anyone within their jurisdiction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>UN General Assembly Resolutions (2007-2018): <\/strong>It urged countries to:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Respect international standards protecting the rights of those facing the death penalty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Progressively restrict its use.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduce the number of crimes punishable by death.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>For the first time, more than two thirds of all UN member states<\/strong> voted in favour of the tenth General Assembly resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over the past decade,<strong> nearly a third of the death sentences<\/strong> decided by the High Courts and the Supreme Court have <strong>ended in acquittals.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In 2025 alone<\/strong>, the Supreme Court acquitted the <strong>accused in 10 of the 19 death penalty cases it decided,<\/strong> repeatedly noting seriously flawed investigations and prosecution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Law Commission of India, in its 262nd Report (2015), <\/strong>highlighted concerns regarding arbitrariness, discrimination, wrongful convictions and the absence of conclusive evidence of deterrence.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It recommended abolishing the death penalty for all crimes except terrorism-related offences and waging war against the State.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The safeguards developed from Bachan Singh to Dupare are not obstacles to justice; they are the <strong>conditions on which the constitutionality of the death penalty rests.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/how-the-supreme-court-shaped-due-process-in-death-penalty-cases\/article71662673.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The World Day Against the Death Penalty is observed annually on October 10 to advocate for the abolition of capital punishment. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> In Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980), the Constitution Bench upheld the death penalty, but imposed specific conditions in the shape of guidelines for the exercise of judicial discretion.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Now in Section 393(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, life imprisonment was to be the norm, and death sentence could be imposed only for \u201cspecial reasons\u201d.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-11-2026\/death-penalty-in-india-2 \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87965"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87969,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87965\/revisions\/87969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}