{"id":81366,"date":"2024-01-29T20:14:43","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T14:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=81366"},"modified":"2024-01-30T18:18:01","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T12:48:01","slug":"capital-punishment","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/capital-punishment","title":{"rendered":"Capital Punishment in India: Status, Arguments, and Way Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Context:\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>This article is based on the news \u201c<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-global\/death-by-nitrogen-why-this-alabama-execution-is-polarising-9130539\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Death by nitrogen: Why this Alabama execution is polarising<\/span><\/a><b>\u201d<\/b> <b>which was published in the Indian Express.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In Alabama, USA a <\/span><b>convict has been executed using nitrogen hypoxia<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the first time as a <\/span><b>method of capital punishment.<\/b><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.099%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Relevancy for Prelims:<\/b> <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/nitrogen-hypoxia\/#:~:text=Nitrogen%20hypoxia%20forces%20the%20person,person&#039;s%20lungs%20instead%20of%20oxygen.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nitrogen hypoxia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/78th-session-of-the-united-nations-general-assembly-unga\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UNGA<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Right to Life, <\/span><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/fundamental-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fundamental Rights (Article 12-35)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/law-commission-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Law Commission<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/death-penalty-in-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Death Penalty In India<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Relevancy for Mains: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capital Punishment in India: Current Status, Arguments, and Way Forward.<\/span><\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.201%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\">\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #000000;\"><b>About Nitrogen Hypoxia:<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/nitrogen-hypoxia\/#:~:text=Nitrogen%20hypoxia%20forces%20the%20person,person&#039;s%20lungs%20instead%20of%20oxygen.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Nitrogen hypoxia<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>high concentration of nitrogen replaces oxygen<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which<\/span><b> disables the respiratory system <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of a person <\/span><b>causing the ultimate death of the person.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt; color: #000000;\"><b>How Does It Work?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nitrogen hypoxia<\/span><b> forces the person to breathe only nitrogen,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> depriving him or her of the oxygen needed to maintain bodily functions.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this method of execution, a <\/span><b>respirator mask is placed over the inmate\u2019s face,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and pure nitrogen is pumped into the person\u2019s lungs instead of oxygen.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>What is Capital Punishment?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>About:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Capital Punishment is defined as a <\/span><b>death penalty<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ordered by the state owing to the <\/span><b>commission of a Crime. Crimes that can result in the death penalty<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are known as capital crimes or<\/span><b> capital offences.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Purpose of Capital Punishment: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The prime reason behind capital punishment is its efficacy in deterring<\/span><b> identical or similar crimes.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Status of Capital Punishment Across World<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">36 countries worldwide practise it, and 103 countries have completely abolished it for all crimes.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>European Union<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Council of Europe: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has 47 member states, and also prohibits the use of the death penalty by its members.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>UN General Assembly Resolution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/78th-session-of-the-united-nations-general-assembly-unga\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UN General Assembly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> passed non-binding resolutions advocating for an<\/span><b> international moratorium on executions <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to ultimately abolish them.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although many nations have abolished capital punishment, <\/span><b>China, India, the United States and Indonesia<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, continue to apply the death penalty (although in India and in many US states it is rarely employed).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each of these four nations has <\/span><b>consistently voted against the General Assembly resolutions.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Capital Punishment in India: Status<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-81745 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/untitled-12-65b8c5baf30bc.webp\" alt=\"Capital Punishment in India\" width=\"227\" height=\"385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/untitled-12-65b8c5baf30bc.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/untitled-12-65b8c5baf30bc-177x300.webp 177w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 227px) 100vw, 227px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Death Penalty in India: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the <\/span><b>&#8216;<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/death-penalty-in-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Death Penalty in India<\/b><\/a><b>: Annual Statistics 2022\u2019 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report released by <\/span><b>Project 39A,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/supreme-court-udaan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supreme Court<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> awarded the death penalty to<\/span><b> only seven people from 2007 to 2022.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A<\/span><b>ll death sentences were either set aside or commuted to life in 2023, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as they did not fall under the <\/span><b>\u201crarest of rare cases\u201d.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Capital punishment by Trial Courts: Trial courts awarded 165 death sentences in 2022<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the highest in over two decades.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>98.3% of the death penalty cases <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">were decided by trial courts \u201c<\/span><b>without any materials on mitigating circumstances of the accused<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and without any state-led evidence on the question of reform.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Provisions For Capital Punishment in India<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Statutory Provision<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><b>The Air Force Act, of 1950, The Army Act, of 1950, and The Navy Act, 1957<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> provide punishment for offences, including hanging or death by shooting.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Supreme Court Judgement on Capital Punishment in India<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Jagmohan Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh (1972): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The constitutional validity of the death penalty was <\/span><b>upheld by the SC.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rajender Prasad v. State of Uttar Pradesh:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 The court held that the death penalty directly affects the life of the people guaranteed under <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/fundamental-rights-2\/#:~:text=Right%20to%20life%20and%20personal,is%20reasonable%2C%20fair%20and%20just.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Article 21 of the Constitution<\/b><\/a><b>.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To impose death penalty, the two things are required:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>special reasons should be recorded<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for imposing the death penalty in a case.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The death penalty must be imposed <\/span><b>only in extraordinary circumstances.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Bachan Singh vs State of Punjab (1980): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this case, the SC upheld the death penalty, but <\/span><b>limited it to the \u2018rarest of rare cases\u2019.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It upheld the Rule of Law which holds that the death sentence is only legal if it s<\/span><b>erves as an alternative to life in prison.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It <\/span><b>strengthens the policy that life imprisonment is the rule and death punishment is an exception.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Deena Dayal vs Union of India And Others (1983): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It upheld the capital punishment by ruling that<\/span><b> hanging is \u201cas painless as possible\u201d and \u201ccauses no greater pain than any other known method\u201d.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Arguments in Favour of Capital Punishment in India<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-81746 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/untitled-13-65b8c5bac42c7.webp\" alt=\"Capital Punishment in India\" width=\"310\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/untitled-13-65b8c5bac42c7.webp 449w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/untitled-13-65b8c5bac42c7-300x245.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Retribution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> According to this theory, <\/span><b>real justice<\/b> <b>requires people to suffer for their wrongdoing, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and to suffer in a way appropriate for the crime.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Death sentence is seen as just retribution for murderers, providing closure for victime\u2019s family and society.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Utilitarianism:<\/b> <b>Utilitarian theory<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> propounded by <\/span><b>Jeremy Bentham<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> aims at <\/span><b>welfare-maximising actions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and conveys that the <\/span><b>consequential welfare of the society outweighs the deprivation of life of the criminal.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Deterrence:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It has been argued that it gives victims&#8217; families satisfaction and serves as a <\/span><b>deterrence to potential offenders<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, preventing them from committing these extremely horrible crimes again.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Public Safety: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The public has to be safeguarded against the possibility of release of a murderer which may cause further crimes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Least Humane Method: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government argues that hanging should remain legal because it is the <\/span><b>least common method of execution that goes wrong, in addition to not being harsh or inhumane.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Arguments Against Capital Punishment in India<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Violation of Right to Life: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The death penalty also <\/span><b>violates the fundamental right to life guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/indian-constitution-exploration\/#:~:text=The%20majority%20of%20the%20articles,known%20Constitutions%20of%20the%20World.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Constitution<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, under Article 21, states that no person shall be deprived of his &#8220;Right to Life&#8221; unless done with due process.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the death penalty is imposed, it also r<\/span><b>estricts the scope of introducing fresh evidence or legal rules into the case.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Methods of Penalty:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> According to the Indian Constitution, state-sanctioned executions have to be <\/span><b>as comfortable and painless as possible<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> but there is no easy method available for this.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most popular technique,<\/span><b> lethal injection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, has been involved in controversy due to<\/span><b> unsuccessful executions.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ex- One Oklahoma prisoner experienced an apparent heart attack forty-three minutes following the initial injection in 2014.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Poor Deterrence Effect:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> There is no proof that the death penalty serves as any kind of deterrence.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social scientists had shown the <\/span><b>death penalty had no deterrent effect; and that public opinion worldwide was in favour of its abolition.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.3%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Buddhism and Capital Punishment<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In terms of doctrine,\u00a0 the death penalty is i<\/span><b>nconsistent with <\/b><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/abcp-buddhas-teachings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Buddhist teaching<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buddhists place great <\/span><b>emphasis on non-violence and compassion for all life<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The First Precept <\/span><b>requires individuals to abstain from injuring or killing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> any living creature.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Buddha did not explicitly speak about capital punishment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but his teachings show no sympathy for physical punishment, no matter how bad the crime.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Discriminatory: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The death penalty is discriminatory. It is often used against the most vulnerable in society, including the <\/span><b>poor, ethnic and religious minorities, and people with mental disabilities.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The death penalty Report of India clearly shows that a<\/span><b>round 76% of convicts of Death Penalty belonged to lower and backward castes <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contravening the philosophy of ethics and morality.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally <\/span><b>93.5% sentenced to death penalty for crimes of terror belong to Scheduled Castes or religious minorities.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Scope for Reform:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Life imprisonment offers a <\/span><b>chance for rehabilitation,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> whereas the death penalty limits any opportunity for redemption.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sanctity of life and the dignity of death are held in high moral regard, and<\/span><b> capital punishment is widely condemned as a grave violation of human rights.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Execution of Innocent: Utilitarian theory<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and its \u201cgoal oriented\u201d may lead to wrongful executions, especially in cases of terrorism where unfair trials and coerced confessions are common.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some cases, special or military courts set up through counterterrorism laws have<\/span><b> sentenced civilians to death, undermining international standards.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Way forward<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-81748 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/untitled-14-65b8c5b9dae16.webp\" alt=\"Capital Punishment in India\" width=\"357\" height=\"143\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/untitled-14-65b8c5b9dae16.webp 449w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/untitled-14-65b8c5b9dae16-300x120.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 357px) 100vw, 357px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Life Imprisonment as an Alternative: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The\u00a0 Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 has defined \u2018life imprisonment\u2019 as a term for the remainder of one\u2019s natural life, and this should be the default alternative to death sentences.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Option for Remission: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remission should be a humanitarian act and never a source of political controversy.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Removing capital punishment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the statute book and <\/span><b>introducing a rational and universal remission policy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will be a substantive reform in the justice system.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The case for the abolition of the death penalty in India will gain strength if the <\/span><b>trend of seeking the premature release of life convicts on political grounds is arrested <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>life terms without remission<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> become more common.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rehabilitation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reason behind commission of crime may in a lot of cases be the <\/span><b>deeply rooted \u201cPsychosocial maladjustment\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The correction of this maladjustment must be made the prime goal to deter repeat offences.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rehabilitation has its theoretical base in the belief that <\/span><b>unfavourable social conditions <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are the reason behind commission of crime. Therefore, it is the <\/span><b>moral right of the convict to seek the help of society.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Law Commission Recommendation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 As recommended by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/law-commission-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Law Commission<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> report, <\/span><b>death penalty should be abolished , except in certain cases<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where the accused is convicted in terror related offence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.301%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Mains Question: <\/b><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/critically-analyze-whether-the-death-penalty-is-justified-in-the-modern-times-10-marks-150-words\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critically analyse whether the death penalty is justified in modern times.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (10 marks |150 words)<\/span><\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.129%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 36px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 468.589%; 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height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-previous-year-papers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 414.091%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-test-series-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UPSC Test Series 2024<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Capital Punishment in India: According to the &#8216;Death Penalty in India: Annual Statistics 2022\u2019 report released by Project 39A, the Supreme Court awarded the death penalty to only seven people from 2007 to 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":81877,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2085],"subject":[2087],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/81366"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81366"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/81366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81932,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/81366\/revisions\/81932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81366"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=81366"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=81366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}