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
- 1,862
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 1,862 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
MAY 31, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPIST KILLER
In India, a fast track court sentenced a 22-year-old man to death for raping and killing
MAY 31, 2012MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: INDIAN NATIONAL GETS THE GALLOWS FOR TRAFFICKING
An Indian national was sentenced to the gallows by the High Court in Malaysia after he was
MAY 31, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: PRESIDENT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF 3 MORE PRISONERS
In India, Home Minister P Chidambaram told his monthly press conference that the death sentence of three more prisoners, including a man convicted for rape and murder of a five-year-old girl, were commuted to life imprisonment by President Pratibha Devisi
MAY 25, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH IN MURDER CASE
In India, three persons were sentenced to death and another to life imprisonment by a Bihar
MAY 15, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
In India, a Jharkhand court sentenced three persons to death for killing six members of a
MAY 12, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLER OF PREGNANT WIFE
In India, District and Sessions Judge Kewal Krishan Garg awarded capital punishment to
MAY 9, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: NO PLAN TO REVIEW LAWS ON DEATH SENTENCE - CHIDAMBARAM
There were no plans to review laws on death sentence in India, Home Minister P. Chidambaram
MAY 8, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF DRUG PEDDLER TO 30-YEAR RI
In India, the Bombay High Court commuted to thirty years rigorous imprisonment the death
MAY 8, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY PROVISION MAY BE DROPPED FROM NDPS ACT
In India, the government may drop the mandatory death penalty provision for repeat drug offenders
MAY 7, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: KARNATAKA GOVT REJECTS MERCY PLEA OF SERIAL RAPIST UMESH REDDY
In India, the Karnataka government rejected the mercy plea of serial rapist B A Umesh
MAY 2, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYJHARKHAND (INDIA): YOUTH SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR BEHEADING GIRL
In India, a Ranchi court awarded the death sentence to a youth, Bijendra Kumar, for
- APRIL 30, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: CRPF EX-COP SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING SEVEN
A former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable was sentenced to death in Andhra
- APRIL 29, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: PRESIDENT PRATIBHA PATIL COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF SERVANT WHO KILLED 3 PERSONS
President Pratibha Patil of India commuted the death sentence of a domestic help, who
APRIL 20, 2012MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: FOREIGN NATIONAL TO HANG FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
In Malaysia, a fish monger from India was sentenced to death by the High Court
APRIL 16, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYBIHAR (INDIA): COURT ACQUITS 23 IN CASTE MASSACRE CASE
Citing lack of evidence, a Bihar court acquitted three men sentenced to death and 20 given life
APRIL 7, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HC UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPE AND MURDER CONVICT
The Bombay high court (HC) confirmed the death sentence awarded to 45-year-old Wadi
- APRIL 3, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: THREE PEOPLE GET DEATH FOR BURNING ALIVE WOMAN
A man was awarded the death penalty in India for burning alive his daughter-in-law
- MARCH 31, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN GETS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR KIDNAPPING, MURDER
In India, District and sessions court of Surat city awarded capital punishment to a man
- MARCH 30, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
woman serial killer Mallika alias Cyanide Mallika...
woman serial killer Mallika alias Cyanide Mallika...
MARCH 30, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: AKALI DAL PARTY CALLS FOR ABOLITION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) party has called on the government to abolish the barbaric
- MARCH 26, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
a Chandigarh court, in India, awarded capital punishment to...
a Chandigarh court, in India, awarded capital punishment to...
- MARCH 26, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: STAYED EXECUTION
the hanging of Beant Singh assassin Balwant Singh Rajoana would not take place on March
MARCH 21, 2012SingaporeDEATH PENALTYSINGAPORE: MAN FACES DEATH PENALTY FOR STABBING AND KILLING WOMAN
In Singapore, Indian national Bijukumar Remadevi Nair Gopinathan, 36, was convicted of the murder
MARCH 19, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: PUNJAB JAILS DEPARTMENT REFUSES TO EXECUTE DEATH WARRANT
the Punjab Jails Department refused to execute the order of a Chandigarh court asking the
- MARCH 13, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH PENALTY FOR RAPE, MURDER OF 75-YR-OLD WOMAN
Observing that it was a "rarest of the rare case", a court in Haryana awarded death sentence
- MARCH 3, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: TRIPLE MURDER ACCUSED GETS DEATH SENTENCE
In India, a 55-year-old man was given a death sentence by Keonjhar district session judge Guruprasad Sahu for killing three members of a family in 2009, public prosecutor Gopal Parida said.
MARCH 1, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPE AND MURDER OF SCHOOLGIRL
A court in West Bengal, India, awarded death sentence to a man convicted of rape and
- FEBRUARY 29, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
death penalty cannot be imposed on all heinous offences...
death penalty cannot be imposed on all heinous offences...
FEBRUARY 29, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC SAVES MAN WHO MURDERED WIFE, 3 KIDS FROM THE GALLOWS
Holding that the gruesome murders were committed on the spur of the moment due to suspicion
- FEBRUARY 29, 2012IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC UPHOLDS DEATH FOR CHILD RAPIST AND MURDERER
In India, the Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence awarded to a man who raped and