India
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · The Indian legislative system also provides for different...
- News items in the archive
- 1,856
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
India is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 1,856 news items on India, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
OCTOBER 3, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MP MAN GIVEN DEATH PENALTY FOR RAPING, KILLING GIRL
A court in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on 30 September 2019 sentenced a man to death for kidnapping, raping and killing a four-year-old girl.
OCTOBER 2, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: COURT AWARDS DEATH PENALTY TO THREE FOR KILLING MINOR
Bokaro district court in the Indian state of Jharkhand on 26 September 2019 awarded death sentence to three persons for killing a minor in November 2013. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 1.50 lakh on each of them.
OCTOBER 1, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: BEANT SINGH ASSASSIN RAJOANA’S DEATH SENTENCE COMMUTED
The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to commute the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was convicted for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, to life imprisonment.
- SEPTEMBER 27, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTY
MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR ABDUCTING KILLING TWO PEOPLE FOR RANSOM
A court in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, on 26 September 2019 awarded death sentence to a man in a double murder case.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC UPHOLDS DEATH TO MAN FOR RAPING GIRL, KILLING BROTHER
The Supreme Court on 1° August 2019 upheld the death penalty of a Tamil Nadu man convicted of gang raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl and also killing her seven-year-old brother.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: GIRIDIH COURT AWARDS DEATH SENTENCE TO MAN FOR RAPING AND KILLING FOUR-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A special POCSO court in Giridih on 21 September 2019 awarded death sentence to a man for raping and killing a four-year-old girl while sentencing his father for life in the case.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: ODISHA COURT AWARDS DEATH PENALTY IN MINOR'S RAPE CASE
A special POCSO court in Odisha's Cuttack on 19 September 2019 awarded the death sentence to Mohammad Mustaq for raping and murdering a six-year-old girl.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPE, MURDER OF MINOR
A designated fast track court in Odisha on 10 September 2019 awarded death sentence to a 28-year-old man for rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl at Gadharishpur within Erasama police limits in March last year.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: KERALA HIGH COURT COMMUTES CONTRACTOR’S DEATH PENALTY TO LIFE SENTENCE
The Kerala High Court on 29 August 2019 commuted to life imprisonment the death sentence awarded by the Kasaragod Sessions Court to a civil contractor for the murder of 14-year-old Safiya, a maidservant who was working in his house.
AUGUST 9, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: YOUTH GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPE, MURDER OF NINE-MONTH-OLD
A court in Telangana on 8 August 2019 sentenced a man to death for sexual assault and killing of a nine-month-old girl child.
AUGUST 7, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HATE CRIME IN RAJASTHAN NOW PUNISHABLE BY DEATH PENALTY
The Rajasthan assembly passed two bills on 5 August 2019 in which death penalty has been proposed for hate crimes against couples in the name of honour and tradition, and life imprisonment for mob lynching.
AUGUST 1, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: BOMBAY HC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF TWO CONVICTS
More than two years after their mercy petitions were rejected by the President, the Bombay High Court on 29 July 2019 commuted the death sentence of two convicts - Purushottam Borate and Pradeep Kokade - for the 2007 kidnapping, rape and murder of a BPO e
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 PENALTY
INDIA: 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 PENALTY
INDIA: 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.
FEBRUARY 21, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: GUJARAT HIGH COURT SPARES TWO CHILD KILLERS THE GALLOWS
The Gujarat High Court on 18 February 2019 saved two persons—Akshay Patel and Kuldip Panchal—who had brutally murdered a four-and-a-half-year-old kid for ransom, from the gallows.
FEBRUARY 18, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: COURT AWARDS DEATH PENALTY TO MAN FOR GIRLFRIEND MURDER
In a landmark judgment, sessions judge, Senapati district, A. Noutuneshwari, on 5 February 2019 awarded death penalty to a 29-year old man Yumkhaibam Rohit alias Rajesh, son of late Y. Riyajuddin of Khergao Makha Leikai, for murdering his girlfriend Pukhr
- JANUARY 31, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: COURT AWARDS DEATH SENTENCE TO FATHER WHO WAS GUILTY OF POISONING TWO CHILDREN
The Kundapur additional sessions court on 19 January 2019 awarded the death penalty for a father who was found guilty in the death of two children by poisoning them at Ganganadu near Byndoor.
- JANUARY 25, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SUPREME COURT ACQUITS THREE DEATH PENALTY CONVICTS, COMMUTES SENTENCE OF ONE
The Supreme Court on 23 January 2019 acquitted three persons who had been awarded death penalty in a murder case. The death sentence awarded to a fourth accused was commuted to life imprisonment.
- JANUARY 23, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: KERALA MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPE, MURDER OF WOMAN, DAUGHTER
The Thodupuzha second additional sessions judge KK Sujatha on 17 January 2019 awarded death penalty to Jomon, of Peruvelipparambil house, Kumily, who raped and killed a woman and her daughter at Vandiperiyar in Idukki 12 years ago.
- JANUARY 11, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC COMMUTES PUNE BUS ACCIDENT CONVICT'S DEATH PENALTY TO LIFE SENTENCE
The Supreme Court on 9 January 2019 commuted to life imprisonment the death sentence awarded to bus driver Santosh Mane, convicted for killing nine people in 2012, by mowing them down in Pune.