India
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- federal parliamentary republic
- CONSTITUTION
- January 26, 1950; amended several times
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- based on English common law; partial review of legislative acts by the judiciary
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- bicameral, Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and People's Assembly (Lok Sabha)
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Court, judges appointed by the President and serve until 65 years of age
RELIGIONS
80% Hindu; 11% Muslims; 2% Christians; 2% Sikhs; Buddhist minorities and others
From the country
OCTOBER 27, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: COUPLE AWARDED FOUR DEATH SENTENCES FOR KILLING FAMILY MEMBERS IN TAMIL NADU
A special court near Chennai on 26 October 2021 convicted and sentenced a couple to four death sentences, double lifer and imposed a fine of Rs six lakh for killing their family members in 2019.
OCTOBER 25, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR RAPING AND MURDERING 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A special POCSO court on 21 October 2021 awarded capital punishment to a man for murdering a 7-year-old girl after raping her in Nagaur district of Rajasthan.
OCTOBER 23, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: NINE GET DEATH SENTENCE FOR MURDER OF 3 MEMBERS OF FAMILY IN RAYAGADA
Nine persons on 21 October 2021 were awarded death sentence in Odisha by the Rayagada district and sessions court for the murder of three members of a family in Kitum village in 2016 on the suspicion of practising witchcraft.
OCTOBER 21, 2021IndiaDEATH BY PUNISHMENTINDIA: DEATH ROW TAKES HUGE MENTAL TOLL ON PRISONERS, REVEALS REPORT
The long incarceration and time spent agonising over the death penalty takes a heavy toll on prisoners who suffer from psychiatric illnesses and intellectual disability, according to a new study conducted in India.
OCTOBER 14, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: JHAJJAR MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR HONOUR KILLING
A court in the Indian state of Haryana on 12 October 2021 awarded death sentence to a man for the murder of three members of his sister-in-law’s family for ‘honour’ in 2016 in Kharkhoda of Sonepat.
- OCTOBER 12, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR BEHEADING MOM
A court in Pudukottai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on 1st October 2021 sentenced a man to death for beheading his mother over a family dispute.
- OCTOBER 4, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: UP MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR THE RAPE AND MURDER OF HIS 5-MONTH-OLD NIECE
A man in Lucknow, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, on 29 September 2021 was sentenced to death by the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court for the rape and murder of his five-month-and-thirteen-days-old niece.
- OCTOBER 3, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: TWO RAPISTS GET LIFE AS BOMBAY HC COMMUTES DEATH PENALTY
Two convicts who were handed out death penalty for raping a minor girl got life in jail, without remission, on 7 September 2021 as the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court rejected their appeals but commuted the capital punishment to life term.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: 26-YEAR-OLD MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPE-MURDER OF MINOR GIRL
A 26-year-old man was on 27 September 2021 awarded a death sentence in the Indian state of Rajasthan for raping an eight-year-old child and strangling her.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SEVEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DOCTOR’S MURDER IN TAMIL NADU
More than seven years after the killing of popular Chennai based neurosurgeon Dr S D Subbaiah the First Additional Sessions Court on 4 August 2021 sentenced seven of the ten accused to death sentences and two others to double life terms.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HC ACQUITS MAN ON DEATH ROW, SAYS COPS DIDN’T VISIT CRIME SPOT
The Patna High Court on 23 July 2021 acquitted a man, who was sentenced to death for allegedly raping and killing a 16-year-old girl under Barhara police station in Bhojpur district of Bihar.
SEPTEMBER 7, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: COURT AWARDS DEATH PENALTY TO 24-YR-OLD MAN FOR RAPE, MURDER OF MINOR GIRL
A 24-year-old man from Madhya Pradesh on 23 July 2021 was awarded the death penalty for killing and raping a minor girl, more than two years ago.