SC dismisses plea seeking abolition of execution by hanging
· India · Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Times of India
The Supreme Court has dismissed a 2017 petition that sought to replace the death penalty by hanging with less painful alternatives like lethal injection or electrocution. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta ruled that the court cannot direct the legislature to adopt a specific mode of sentencing. However, the verdict allows the Centre to conduct a comprehensive review of execution methods through an expert body to potentially minimize pain and preserve prisoner dignity. The Centre had previously argued in a 2018 affidavit that hanging remains a quick and simple method, maintaining that other alternatives are not necessarily less painful. The petition, filed by senior advocate Rishi Malhotra, had requested that death row convicts be given the option to choose their mode of execution.
Why it matters
The ruling maintains the status quo for capital punishment in India, confirming that hanging remains the only legal method of execution for death row convicts.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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