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
AUGUST 28, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: LAW PANEL DRAFT PAPER FAVOURS ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY
The Law Commission is set to recommend abolition of death penalty in India except for terror convicts,
JULY 30, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: YAKUB MEMON EXECUTED FOR 1993 MUMBAI BOMBINGS
A little over 22 years after the Mumbai bombings that killed 257 people in 1993, the lone convict on death row in the case – Yakub Abdul Razak Memon – was hanged at the Central Prison in the city of Nagpur.
- JULY 22, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: YAKUB MEMON FILES FRESH MERCY PLEA BEFORE PRESIDENT
The execution of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon might be delayed as he reportedly handed over a fresh plea for mercy to Nagpur central jail authorities, to be forwarded to the President
JULY 20, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: TRIAL COURTS GIVE DEATH FREELY, BUT JUST 5% CONFIRMED
Just 5 % of the 1,790 death sentences handed down by trial courts in the last 15 years have been confirmed by the Supreme Court.
JULY 16, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: CONVICT HAMSA SENTENCED TO DEATH IN SAFIYA MURDER CASE
The district sessions court in Kasaragod, state of Kerala, has awarded death sentence to K.C. Hamsa,
JULY 12, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: DEATH PENALTY IS PRIVILEGE OF POOR, SAYS LAW COMMISSION HEAD
Noting that poor and downtrodden usually go to the gallows, Chairman of the Law Commission of India
- JULY 11, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MPS, LEADERS SEEK REPEAL OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Cutting across the party lines, the members of Parliament (MPs) and political leaders favoured the abolition
JULY 10, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: FORMER PRESIDENT A P J ABDUL KALAM FAVOURS ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY
Former president A P J Abdul Kalam has supported abolition of the death penalty, saying that as President
JUNE 18, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN AWARDED CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR RAPING EIGHT-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A lower court in Ashta Tehsil near Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, awarded capital punishment to a man for raping a minor eight-year-old girl.
- MAY 28, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA CONVICTS CAN'T BE HANGED SECRETLY AND HURRIEDLY, SAYS SUPREME COURT
Supreme Court has said that execution of death row convicts cannot be carried out in an arbitrary, hurried
- APRIL 21, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: HC COMMUTES DHARAMPAL'S DEATH SENTENCE TO LIFE TERM
Giving benefit of prolonged delay in deciding on his mercy petition by the President, the Punjab and Haryana high court commuted the death sentence of Dharampal, a rape convict from Sonipat who later murdered five members of the rape survivor's family whi
APRIL 14, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HIGH COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE TO LIFE TERM
Gujarat high court has commuted the death sentence of a convict to life imprisonment in a case of kidnapping and murder of a 9-year-old in Navsari.