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
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 PENALTYINDIA: 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.
- MARCH 18, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: AIR FORCE FORMER SERGEANT SENTENCED TO DEATH
MARCH 7, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC CONFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE TO PUNJAB MAN FOR KILLING SIX
The Supreme Court on 5 March 2019 confirmed capital punishment for a man from Punjab, who killed six people by drowning them in a canal.
MARCH 7, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC ACQUITS TWO DEATH ROW CONVICTS
The Supreme Court on 5 March 2019 acquitted two death-row convicts who were sentenced to the gallows by the Chhattisgarh High Court for allegedly committing robbery and killing five women members of a family in 2012.
MARCH 6, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SURENDRA KOLI SENTENCED TO DEATH IN 10TH CASE OF NITHARI KILLINGS
Surendra Koli, who has been convicted and sentenced to death in nine cases of rape and murder of women in Noida’s Nithari village, was on 2 March 2019 handed down capital punishment in the 10th case of rape and murder against him.
- MARCH 4, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC COMMUTES DEATH PENALTY TO LIFE TERM CITING MAN'S REFORMATIVE POEMS
The Supreme Court has commuted the death penalty awarded to a man for murdering a child into life imprisonment after his poems indicated that he realised his mistake and wanted to reform himself, PTI reported on 3 March 2019.
FEBRUARY 26, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: DEATH PENALTY TO MAN WHO RAPED 3-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A court on 20 February 2019 awarded death sentence to a person who was found guilty of raping and killing a three-year-old girl in Jharkhand's Gumla district.