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
- 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
- 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