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
- FEBRUARY 7, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
Former Indian prime minister VP Singh called for capital...
Former Indian prime minister VP Singh called for capital punishment for politicians responsible for corruption, particularly in matters related to defence
- FEBRUARY 7, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
Dealing a major blow to the criminal prosecution system...
Dealing a major blow to the criminal prosecution system and granting extreme relief to a man who was sentenced to death for murdering four members of a family in 1996, the Supreme Court acquitted the accused holding that no independent witness was examine
- FEBRUARY 6, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
A division bench of the Allahabad High Court urged...
A division bench of the Allahabad High Court urged the Indian Parliament to amend the law and provide for the death penalty for gang-rape
- FEBRUARY 5, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
A man was condemned to death for killing four of his...
A man was condemned to death for killing four of his relatives in cold blood
- FEBRUARY 4, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
The Panthic Morcha [an opposition joint front of Sikh...
The Panthic Morcha [an opposition joint front of Sikh groups in the north Indian state of Punjab] said it favoured the abolition of capital punishment in its manifesto for the state legislative assembly elections which will be held in February
- JANUARY 7, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
India's Delhi Police Force acquired a new weapon to...
India's Delhi Police Force acquired a new weapon to fight organised crime with the introduction of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act or MCOCA in Delhi
- JANUARY 3, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
Hoping that an accused who had murdered his own mother...
Hoping that an accused who had murdered his own mother and the entire family of his brother over a land dispute might repent "for rest of life for commission of such ghastly act", the Supreme Court commuted his death sentence to a life term