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
- 1,863
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 1,863 news items on India, from 1999 to today.
In India the death penalty applies to murder, terrorism and certain serious sexual offences, and the method is hanging. Case law restricts it to the cases it calls the rarest of the rare: many sentences are handed down, few executions are actually carried out, and a significant share of sentences is overturned or commuted on appeal.
The archive follows sentences, commutations, executions and legislative debates.
Latest news
SEPTEMBER 26, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: DEATH WITHOUT THE RIGHT TO APPEAL
In its report, “India: Death Without the Right to Appeal”, Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) stated
SEPTEMBER 2, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: REVIEW PLEA OF DEATH ROW CONVICTS TO BE HEARD IN OPEN COURT BY THREE-JUDGE BENCH
The Supreme Court of India ruled that review petitions against verdicts upholding death sentences will now
SEPTEMBER 1, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: PRESIDENT MUKHERJEE REJECTED 97% OF MERCY PETITIONS, BUT HE FAILED TO CURB CRIME
President Pranab Mukherjee of India has rejected 97% of the mercy petitions in his two-year tenure, as of
AUGUST 14, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: TWO SISTERS MAY BECOME FIRST EVER WOMEN TO BE HANGED IN THE COUNTRY
the Mumbai Mirror said two sisters from Kolhapur in Maharashtra State, who were sentenced to death in 2001 for kidnapping 13 children and killing nine of them, are likely to become the first ever women in India to be hanged after President Pranab Mukherje
JULY 24, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR ACID ATTACK IN MADHYA PRADESH
In a landmark decision, a court in Madhya Pradesh sentenced a man to death for hurling acid on a 28-year-
- JULY 18, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: PRESIDENT REJECTS MERCY PLEAS OF SIX DEATH ROW CONVICTS
President Pranab Mukherjee of India rejected the mercy petitions of Nithari serial killer Surinder Koli and
- JULY 14, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC BLOCKS DEATH OF TWO IN DEC 16 GANG-RAPE
The Supreme Court of India suspended the death sentence of Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur, the two
- JULY 3, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SUPREME COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF 26-YEAR-OLD YOUTH
the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of a 26-year-old youth to life term for killing a woman
- JULY 2, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SUPREME COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF POLICE CONSTABLE
the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence awarded to a police constable for murdering his wife and
JUNE 25, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: 24-YR-OLD PALI MAN GETS DEATH FOR RAPING & MURDERING MINOR GIRL IN 2012
In a speedy, decisive judgment, the Mangaon court in Raigad district awarded the death sentence to a 24-
- JUNE 24, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: COP GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING 3 BIHAR STUDENTS IN FAKE ENCOUNTER
Finally delivering justice for the three teenage students who were killed in a fake gun-battle 12 years ago in
- JUNE 13, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPING, MURDERING GIRL
A man, accused of raping and killing a minor, was awarded death sentence by the Barabanki court.
JUNE 11, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA TO IMPOSE DEATH PENALTY ON HIJACKERS
India will introduce a new anti-hijacking law to impose death penalty on hijackers, Xinhua news agency
MAY 30, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: 3 RAPISTS SENTENCED TO DEATH
An Indian court sentenced to death three men who raped a photojournalist inside an abandoned textile mill
MAY 23, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: LAW COMMISSION CALLS FOR REVIEW OF DEATH PENALTY
the Law Commission of India, which works as an advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice, has
- MAY 21, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCES OF 2 CONVICTS
The Supreme Court of India commuted death sentence of two convicts in 2002 in American Center attack
MAY 14, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC COMMUTES DEATH PENALTY TO 30-YRS JAIL
The Supreme Court has commuted the death penalty of a man, convicted for raping and killing a 9-year-old
- APRIL 4, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MUMBAI COURT ORDERS FIRST DEATH SENTENCE FOR MULTIPLE RAPES
An Indian judge ordered three men to hang after they were convicted of two gang-rapes.
- APRIL 1, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: RAJIV GANDHI ASSASSINS WILL NOT HANG, REITERATES SUPREME COURT
the Supreme Court reiterated that three men from Tamil Nadu convicted of killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi will not hang.
MARCH 31, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF BHULLAR TO LIFE TERM
The Supreme Court four-judge bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam commuted the death sentence
MARCH 27, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SEVEN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN CHILD'S SACRIFICE CASE IN CHHATTISGARH
Seven people, including Kiran Yadav (Guru mata), who had allegedly kidnapped and murdered a two-
MARCH 24, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MADRAS HC UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE IN KIDNAP AND MURDER CASE
Madras High Court upheld the death sentence awarded by a Mahila Court in Coimbatore in 2012 to a 27-
MARCH 16, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYthe Supreme Court suspended the death penalty for two of the four men sentenced to death for raping and
the Supreme Court suspended the death penalty for two of the four men sentenced to death for raping and
- MARCH 12, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SUPREME COURT REJECTS GOVERNMENT’S PLEA ON VERDICT ON COMMUTATION OF DEATH PENALTY
the Supreme Court dismissed the Centre’s plea seeking review of its verdict holding that undue delay by the
MARCH 11, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: COURT AWARDS DEATH SENTENCE TO THREE DACOITS
In a sensational verdict, a district court judge in Guntur handed death sentence to three notorious dacoits
MARCH 9, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HIGH COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF FIVE CONVICTED OF 'HONOUR KILLING'
The Delhi high court has commuted the death sentence given to five people involved in the murder of a man,
- FEBRUARY 28, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SUPREME COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF FOUR TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of four persons to life imprisonment on the ground of their
FEBRUARY 25, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE, JAILS RAPIST FOR 35 YEARS
The Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of a man convicted for raping a minor girl who later died
- FEBRUARY 24, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: GUJ HC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF MAN WHO KILLED 5 OF FAMILY
Gujarat High Court has commuted the death sentence of a murder convict, who killed five members of a
- FEBRUARY 21, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
a youth, Amal Biswas was sentenced to death by hanging, for raping and murdering his girlfriend, a teen-
a youth, Amal Biswas was sentenced to death by hanging, for raping and murdering his girlfriend, a teen-