{"id":85843,"date":"2026-02-04T09:33:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T04:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=85843"},"modified":"2026-02-04T11:40:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T06:10:02","slug":"death-penalty-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/death-penalty-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Death Penalty in India &#8211; Appellate Courts Correcting Trial Court Errors, but Structural Faultlines Persist"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Death Penalty in India Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A decade-long study (2016\u20132025) by the Square Circle Clinic, a criminal laws advocacy group with the NALSAR University of Law (Hyderabad), highlights <\/span><b>systemic flaws<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in death penalty sentencing in India.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite a high number of death sentences awarded by trial courts, appellate courts\u2014High Courts and the Supreme Court\u2014have overturned, commuted, or acquitted the overwhelming majority, pointing to <\/span><b>erroneous <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and unjustified <\/span><b>convictions <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at the trial stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report is significant for debates on criminal justice reform, due process, <\/span><b>Article 21<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Indian constitution, and capital punishment jurisprudence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Death Penalty in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Meaning<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: It is a legal punishment for heinous crimes (such as murder, gang rape of minors under 18, terrorism-related offenses), restricted to the &#8220;<\/span><b>rarest of rare<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8221; cases under the IPC and CrPC.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Confirmation and appellate review<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A death sentence passed by a Sessions Court <\/span><b>must <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">be confirmed by the High Court. Convicts have a right to appeal to the Supreme Court.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Exceptions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Death penalties cannot be imposed on individuals who were under 18 at the time of the offense. Executions are generally avoided for pregnant women.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: It retains the death penalty for heinous crimes, and is restricted to the &#8220;rarest of rare&#8221; cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Constitutional aspects:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Article 21<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The death penalty is not inherently unconstitutional, provided the procedure is fair, just, and reasonable (the Supreme Court interpretation).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Articles 14 and 19<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: While challenged under these articles, the courts have upheld the constitutionality of capital punishment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Clemency powers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Article 72 empowers the President to grant pardons or commute sentences, including death sentences.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Judicial aspects (Key cases):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Jagmohan Singh v. State of UP (1973)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Upheld constitutionality.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Established the &#8220;rarest of rare&#8221; doctrine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Machhi Singh v. State of Punjab (1983)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Further refined the guidelines for applying the &#8220;rarest of rare&#8221; rule.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Mandatory penalty struck down<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The Supreme Court in Mithu v. State of Punjab (1983) declared mandatory death penalties (like Section 303 of the IPC) unconstitutional.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Judicial discretion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Courts must consider mitigating factors (e.g., age, mental state, potential for rehabilitation) against aggravating factors (e.g., brutality, premeditation).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Key Findings of the Report<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Stark disparity between trial courts and appellate courts:<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-85869\" src=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/current-affairs-wp-uploads\/2026\/02\/unnamed-2026-02-04T113246.480.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"284\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>In 2025 alone<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Sessions courts awarded 128 death sentences in 94 cases. High Courts overturned death sentences in almost 90% of cases. Supreme Court acquitted the accused in over 50% of cases (10 out of 19).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This indicates a pattern, not an aberration, of wrongful or unjustified convictions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Growing death row population despite fewer confirmations:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>For example<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 574 persons on death row as of December 31, 2025 \u2014 the highest since 2016.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Paradox<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Appellate courts increasingly cautious, yet trial courts continue to impose death sentences at scale.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Supreme Court\u2019s evolving jurisprudence on due process:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>2022 guidelines<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Before imposing a death sentence, trial courts must consider psychological evaluation report, probation officer\u2019s report, and prison conduct records.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Vasanta Sampat Dupare v. Union of India (2025):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Death penalty sentencing hearings recognised as an essential component of a <\/span><b>fair trial<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Non-compliance with 2022 guidelines amounts to violation of Articles <\/span><b>14 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>21<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enabled reopening of sentencing hearings even after exhaustion of appeals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This reflects a constitutional shift towards procedural fairness and <\/span><b>mitigation-centric <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sentencing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Persistent non-compliance at Sessions Court level:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2025, trial courts failed to comply with Supreme Court guidelines in 79 of 83 cases (95.18% non-compliance).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>For example<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, sentencing is often conducted on the same day as conviction (18 cases). Within five days in over two-thirds of cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such haste prevents collection of mental health and prison records, and effective presentation of mitigating circumstances by the defence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Legislative expansion vs judicial retrenchment:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the higher judiciary shows restraint, Parliament and state legislatures have expanded the scope of capital punishment over the past decade.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reflects a <\/span><b>disconnect <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">between legislative intent and judicial application.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Rise of life imprisonment without remission:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Appellate courts increasingly commute death sentences to fixed-term or whole-life imprisonment without remission.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report flags this as a poorly regulated and arbitrary sentencing category.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such sentences remove the possibility of remission, and deprive prisoners of hope, an essential element of human dignity under Article 21.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Geographical and offence-wise trends:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>States with highest death row population<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Uttar Pradesh (highest), followed by Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Women<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Constituted 4.18% of death row inmates in 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Major offences<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Murder simpliciter, and murder involving sexual offences.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Challenges Highlighted and Way Forward<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Systemic failure of trial courts:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To follow constitutional safeguards. Mandatory enforcement of Supreme Court\u2019s 2022 sentencing guidelines.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>High risk of wrongful convictions: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capacity-building and sensitisation of trial court judges on mitigation and sentencing hearings.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Arbitrary use<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Of life imprisonment without remission. Development of a clear statutory framework governing life imprisonment without remission.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Gap<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Between evolving constitutional jurisprudence and ground-level judicial practice. Strengthening legal aid and defence representation in capital cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Legislative push<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Towards harsher punishment amid judicial caution. Aligning legislative policy with constitutional values of fair trial, proportionality, and human dignity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report underscores that wrongful convictions in death penalty cases are systemic, not incidental, revealing deep structural flaws in India\u2019s criminal justice system.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While higher courts have emerged as corrective institutions safeguarding Articles 14 and 21, the persistence of <\/span><b>procedural lapses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the trial level and the unregulated rise of harsh alternative sentences demand <\/span><b>urgent reform<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a constitutional democracy, the legitimacy of capital punishment hinges not merely on legality, but on scrupulous adherence to due process and fairness.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/legal-news\/in-10-years-trial-courts-handed-death-to-over-1300-people-hcs-upheld-only-70-10512187\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>IE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite a high number of death penalty in India being awarded by trial courts, appellate courts have overturned, commuted, or acquitted the overwhelming majority, pointing to erroneous convictions at the trial stage. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":85866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[5138],"class_list":{"0":"post-85843","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-death-penalty-in-india","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85843"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85872,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85843\/revisions\/85872"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}