Supreme Court of India rejects plea to replace hanging with alternative execution methods

Supreme Court of India death penalty hanging lethal injection constitutional scrutiny

The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a long-standing petition seeking to replace hanging with more humane and less painful methods of execution, such as lethal injection, shooting, or electrocution. The bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, declined to reconsider a 1983 Constitution Bench decision that upheld the validity of hanging.

While refusing to issue a judicial mandate for alternative methods, the Court clarified that its ruling does not preclude future constitutional scrutiny. The bench noted that if compelling scientific, medical, or empirical evidence emerges demonstrating that the factual basis for the current method has changed, the issue could be revisited.

The Court also stated that the Union government is free to conduct a comprehensive review of existing execution methods through an expert body consisting of specialists in law, forensic medicine, neuroscience, and criminology to determine if alternatives better serve constitutional objectives regarding human dignity and the minimization of pain.

Entities

Rishi Malhotra · Sandeep Mehta · Supreme Court of India · Union Government of India · Vikram Nath

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 11 SOURCES] The Union government is permitted to review execution methods through an expert body. www.barandbench.com · navbharatlive.com · news24online.com · www.news9live.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · +6 more
[● 11 SOURCES] The Supreme Court dismissed a petition to replace hanging with alternative execution methods. www.barandbench.com · navbharatlive.com · news24online.com · www.news9live.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · +6 more
[● 11 SOURCES] The decision was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. www.barandbench.com · navbharatlive.com · news24online.com · www.news9live.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · +6 more
[● 6 SOURCES] The ruling does not preclude future constitutional scrutiny if new scientific or medical evidence is presented. www.barandbench.com · news24online.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · navabharat.com · bilkulonline.com · +1 more
[● 8 SOURCES] The petitioner proposed lethal injection, shooting, electrocution, or gas chambers as alternatives to hanging. www.news9live.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · www.india.com · news24online.com · www.barandbench.com · +3 more