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
- MAY 1, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF GIRL, 4
in Madanapalle, India, Second Additional District magistrate Ganesh Babu sentenced Golla Appaiah, 34, to death for raping and murdering a minor girl on August 29, 2007
- APRIL 30, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY IN NASIK MURDER CASE
the Indian Supreme Court upheld the death penalty of six convicts involved in the sensational Nasik murder case.
- APRIL 29, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH SENTENCE REFERRED TO SUPREME COURT BENCH
the Indian Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Ramesh Bhai Chandi Bhai Rathod for the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Surat district of Gujarat in 1999.
- APRIL 29, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: FATHER-IN-LAW GETS DEATH
in Thrissur, India, District and Sessions Judge B Kemal Pasha sentenced Mammikutty, 60, to hang for murder.
- APRIL 28, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: HC REFERS BACK DEATH SENTENCE CASE TO LOWER COURT
the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court in India referred back a petition of death sentence to the lower court citing that the "convict failed to get enough chances to prove his credentials."
- APRIL 26, 2009Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: INDIAN SPARED DEATH SENTENCE, RETURNS HOME
Indian national Abu Rafe, 27, who was sentenced to death by the Abha Central Court in Saudi Arabia in 2007 for murder, was set free by the same court.
APRIL 22, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: APEX COURT CONFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE FOR KERALA MURDER
the Indian Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence of a Kerala man for
- APRIL 20, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: KIDNAPPERS CAN BE SENTENCED TO DEATH: SC
the Indian Supreme Court held that a person can be sentenced to death or life imprisonment for kidnapping another person to extract ransom even if the accused had not caused any hurt to the victim.
- APRIL 8, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: HC REDUCES MAN'S DEATH SENTENCE IN DOUBLE MURDER CASE
the Delhi High Court in India reduced the death sentence of a man convicted of killing two cousins over a business dispute. A Division Bench of Justices B D Ahmed and P K Bhasin commuted the sentence passed on Raminder Singh, alias Happy.
- APRIL 3, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR KILLING WIFE, DAUGHTER
in India, a Kottayam district judge sentenced Shanu, alias Shanavas, 32, of Paippad, to death for murdering his wife, Sareena, alias Lovely, 26, and daughter Ameesha
- APRIL 2, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: INDIAN ON CHINESE DEATH ROW GETS REPRIEVE
an Indian man found guilty in China of possessing narcotics had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment.
- APRIL 1, 2009IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: 3 GET DEATH SENTENCE FOR MURDER
in India, Magistrate Shrikanth Babuladi of the Kodagu District and Sessions Court sentenced three men to death a murder committed on February 7, 2002.