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 2, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
Seven brothers convicted of a double murder by a district...
Seven brothers convicted of a double murder by a district court in India demanded capital punishment for themselves, declaring they did not want any mercy from the court
- APRIL 28, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
The Supreme Court has approved death sentence for those...
The Supreme Court has approved death sentence for those guilty of killing innocent persons of a particular community, religion or class
- APRIL 27, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
Nepal said Indians are also eligible for the rewards...
Nepal said Indians are also eligible for the rewards it had announced for the capture, dead or alive, of top Maoist leaders
- APRIL 27, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
Special Judge S N Dhingra sentenced to death three...
Special Judge S N Dhingra sentenced to death three Pakistani militants, Nazir Khan, Abdul Rahim and Naser Mehmood Sodozey, belonging to Harkat-ul-Ansar, for kidnapping four foreign tourists in 1994 in a case in which Omar Sheikh was also one of the accuse
- APRIL 25, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
India abstained from the resolution 2002/77 on the...
India abstained from the resolution 2002/77 on the death penalty at the 58th UN Commission on Human Rights
- APRIL 21, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
In New Delhi, Justices Doraiswamy Raju and Brijesh...
In New Delhi, Justices Doraiswamy Raju and Brijesh Kumar upheld the conviction of a father accused of murdering his two sons due to suspicion over his wife's fidelity, but commuted the death sentence, awarded by the trial Court and confirmed by the Gujara
- APRIL 10, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
The radical pro-Pakistan militant outfit Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen...
The radical pro-Pakistan militant outfit Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen (JuM), banned under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), threatened to kill those who contest or campaign in the next assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir
- APRIL 9, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
An Indian court condemned two brothers, Dharambir and...
An Indian court condemned two brothers, Dharambir and Joginder, to death and a third brother, Karambir, to life imprisonment for a triple murder
- APRIL 3, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
India's Supreme Court upheld the death penalty awarded...
India's Supreme Court upheld the death penalty awarded to Devendar Pal Singh, a Khalistani militant, under the erstwhile TADA [Terrorism and Disruptive Activities(Prevention) Act] solely on the basis of a confessional statement to the police which he late
- MARCH 26, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
In an extraordinary joint sitting of both Houses, the...
In an extraordinary joint sitting of both Houses, the Indian parliament passed the controversial anti-terrorism bill dubbed "draconian" by the Opposition after an acrimonious marathon debate that saw Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee rejecting Sonia Gan
- FEBRUARY 14, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
At an EU-India Ministerial meeting in Madrid, EU Foreign...
At an EU-India Ministerial meeting in Madrid, EU Foreign Relations Commissioner Chris Patten raised questions of human rights and democracy with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, as well as the EU's concern about the use of the death penalty
- FEBRUARY 10, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
The Supreme court stayed the execution of the only...
The Supreme court stayed the execution of the only woman on death row in Tihar Jail