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
SEPTEMBER 20, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: ODISHA COURT AWARDS DEATH PENALTY IN MINOR'S RAPE CASE
A special POCSO court in Odisha's Cuttack on 19 September 2019 awarded the death sentence to Mohammad Mustaq for raping and murdering a six-year-old girl.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPE, MURDER OF MINOR
A designated fast track court in Odisha on 10 September 2019 awarded death sentence to a 28-year-old man for rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl at Gadharishpur within Erasama police limits in March last year.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: KERALA HIGH COURT COMMUTES CONTRACTOR’S DEATH PENALTY TO LIFE SENTENCE
The Kerala High Court on 29 August 2019 commuted to life imprisonment the death sentence awarded by the Kasaragod Sessions Court to a civil contractor for the murder of 14-year-old Safiya, a maidservant who was working in his house.
AUGUST 9, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: YOUTH GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPE, MURDER OF NINE-MONTH-OLD
A court in Telangana on 8 August 2019 sentenced a man to death for sexual assault and killing of a nine-month-old girl child.
AUGUST 7, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HATE CRIME IN RAJASTHAN NOW PUNISHABLE BY DEATH PENALTY
The Rajasthan assembly passed two bills on 5 August 2019 in which death penalty has been proposed for hate crimes against couples in the name of honour and tradition, and life imprisonment for mob lynching.
AUGUST 1, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: BOMBAY HC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF TWO CONVICTS
More than two years after their mercy petitions were rejected by the President, the Bombay High Court on 29 July 2019 commuted the death sentence of two convicts - Purushottam Borate and Pradeep Kokade - for the 2007 kidnapping, rape and murder of a BPO e
JULY 17, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPING, KILLING 9-YR-OLD GIRL
In a speedy judgment, a Bophal district court on 11 July 2019 awarded death sentence to a 35-year-old man for raping and killing a nine-year-old girl last month.
JULY 9, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC STAYS EXECUTION OF 7 DEATH ROW CONVICTS
The Supreme Court on 4 July 2019 stayed the execution of death penalty awarded to seven men convicted of raping and murdering a mentally-challenged woman in Rohtak in 2015.
JUNE 19, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MADHYA PRADESH HC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF 5-YEAR-OLD'S RAPIST IN JABALPUR
A division bench of MP high court on 17 June 2019 commuted the death sentence awarded to a 19-year-old boy, who had raped and killed his five-year-old cousin at a village under Katangi police station in Jabalpur district. The court commuted the death pena
JUNE 11, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: BOMBAY HC UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY CLAUSE FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS IN RAPE CASES
The Bombay High Court on 3 June 2019 upheld the Constitutional validity of an amended section of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) under which repeat offenders in rape cases can be awarded life imprisonment or death penalty.
APRIL 5, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SERIAL KILLER MOHAN KUMAR CONVICTED IN TWO MORE CASES, AWARDED DEATH SENTENCE
Serial Killer Mohan Kumar, who is facing 20 criminal cases, was on 27 March 2019 convicted to death sentence in two cases by Courts in Madikeri and Dakshina Kannada Districts, in the indian State of Karnataka.
- APRIL 3, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPE, MURDER OF TWO-YEAR-OLD IN KOLKATA
The Kolkata Sessions Court on 28 March 2019 sentenced a 42-year-old man to death for rape and murder of a two-and-a-half-year-old pavement dweller in Kolkata in 2013.