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
- MARCH 25, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: HC UPHOLDS DEATH FOR KILLING SR CITIZEN, RAPING WOMAN
Bombay high court in India confirmed the death sentence of Sandesh Abhang for murdering Shalini Jadhav...
- MARCH 24, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH PENALTY SET ASIDE DUE TO DENIAL OF FAIR TRIAL
the death sentence of Vasanta Dupare, 47, was set aside by justices Tahilramani and Tahaliyani of the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court in India because he was “deprived of effective defense” by the trial court.
- MARCH 19, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: PUNE COURT GIVES DEATH SENTENCE TO LABOURER FOR KILLING WIFE
in Pune, India, district principal and session judge PD Desai sentenced construction labourer Ramesh Mahipati Randive...
- MARCH 18, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDERING WOMAN
in Barabanki, India, Additional Sessions Judge Rajendra Chandra sentenced Narendra...
- MARCH 16, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: COURT AWARDS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR MASS MURDER
in Bihar's Banka district, India, Additional district and session court judge S.C.Jha sentenced Md. Sabbir Mian to death for robbing and murdering seven people in Badua on July 7, 1997.
- MARCH 15, 2011United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: MAN TO BE EXECUTED
the Dubai Criminal Court in the United Arab Emirates sentenced an Indian, identified as MSS, to death for burying two compatriots alive under ground and concealing the dead bodies.
- MARCH 15, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH FOR DRUG PEDDLING CHALLENGED
the Indian Harm Reduction Network, a consortium of NGOs for humane drug policies, filed a petition with the Gujarat high court challenging the constitutional validity of Section 31A of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which prescribe
- MARCH 15, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: TWO GET DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING FOUR PEOPLE
an Additional Sessions Judge (II) in Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, India, sentenced Durgadeen and Ishwardas, from Natarra village, to death for murdering four people over a family dispute on December 5, 2000.
MARCH 15, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: PHILANTHROPIST PAYS BLOOD MONEY, FOUR INDIANS ON DEATH ROW PARDONED
an Indian father pardoned four Indian expatriates who were found guilty of murdering
- MARCH 11, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH SENTENCE COMMUTED FOR 5
Justices Mittal and Jeyapaul of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in India commuted five death sentences to 20 years imprisonment each. Manoj, 23, and Babli, 19, were murdered in June 2007 after they married against their families' wishes
- MARCH 9, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC STAYS DEATH PENALTY FOR RAPE MURDER
Justices Reddy and Nijjaar of the Indian Supreme Court stayed the death sentence of B A Umesh of Karnataka, for raping and murdering widow Jayashri in 1998.
- MARCH 3, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: FIVE IN GUJARAT WAITING FOR THE GALLOWS
“So far there are five different people from Gujarat state who have been ordered to be hanged and their applications are pending in courts,” additional director-general of police (prisons) PC Thakur said in India. However, sources said that the exact stat
- MARCH 3, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: PARDON FOR DEATH ROW CONVICTS
Indian President Pratibha Patil pardoned four people on death row.
- MARCH 2, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: CONVICTS ON DEATH ROW NOT TO BE KEPT IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT: HC
from now, convicts facing the death penalty and confined in various jails of Punjab, Haryana and UT, Chandigarh in India must not be kept in solitary confinement.
- MARCH 2, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE FAVOURS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR HIJACKERS
in India, the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture on the Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill 2010 favoured the death penalty for hijackers
- MARCH 2, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: JUDGE SLAMS GOVT FOR DELAY IN HANGING AFZAL GURU
Indian Justice Shiv Narayan Dhingra, who sentenced the December 13, 2001...
- MARCH 2, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF KILLER OF WIFE, 4 DAUGHTERS
Justices Harjit Singh Bedi and C K Prasad of the Indian Supreme Court commuted the death penalty of Vishweshwar Kol for killing his second wife Leelawati Bai and four daughters on October 19, 2003, in Madhya Pradesh, to life imprisonment.
- MARCH 1, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: 6 GET DEATH PENALTY AFTER 15 YRS OF TRIAL
in India, Kathua Principal Sessions Judge Jang Bhadur Singh Jamwal sentenced six people to death for killing Yash Paul Singh alias Boolla, a royalty contractor, on April 7, 1995.
- MARCH 1, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: GODHRA PENALTY: GALLOWS FOR 11
Special judge P R Patel of the special court at Sabarmati Jail in India sentenced 11 people to death for the Godhra train burning case that left 59 kar sevaks dead on February 27, 2002.
- FEBRUARY 27, 2011United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: DEATH SENTENCE FOR KILLING IN VISA FRAUD OPERATION
limousine driver AA, 37, and office manager HM, 27, both Indian nationals, were sentenced to death by the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance in the United Arab Emirates for killing Pakistani national Masoud al Rahman in Al Hamriya August 20, 2009 over
- FEBRUARY 26, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH TERM FOR DOUBLE MURDER
justice Shiva Sharma of the Sirsa district and sessions court in India sentenced local resident Krishan Lal alias Pali to death for murdering the wife and mother of a local trader, Trishna and Mamta, at their residence in Rori village of the district near
- FEBRUARY 22, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC SAVES MAN CONVICTED FOR MURDER FROM THE GALLOWS
a bench of justices Sirpurkar and Thakur of the Indian Supreme Court...
- FEBRUARY 22, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: COURT ACQUITS TWO DEATH-ROW
a division bench of Chief Justice Patel and Justice Roy of the Calcutta High Court in India acquitted Jahangir Alam and Anarul Haque for insufficient evidence.
- FEBRUARY 22, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: THREE HAVE DEATH SENTENCES CANCELLED
a Division Bench of Justice Satish Kumar and Justice M Jeyapaul of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in India cancelled the death penalties of three people.
FEBRUARY 21, 2011PakistanDEATH PENALTYINDIA: COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR MUMBAI ATTACK
an appeals court in India confirmed the conviction and death sentence for the only surviving
- FEBRUARY 18, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN GETS DEATH FOR RAPE, MURDER OF CHILD IN JAMSHEDPUR
in Jamshedpur, India, Additional district and sessions judge BK Sinha sentenced Sanjay...
- FEBRUARY 16, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC RELIEF FOR 2 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING MLA
the Indian Supreme Court commuted the death sentences of Sheo Shankar Singh and Umesh Singh to life imprisonment.
- FEBRUARY 15, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIAN SERVANT TO HANG FOR 'HOUSE OF HORRORS' MURDER
India's Supreme Court ordered domestic servant Surinder Koli...
- FEBRUARY 11, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: THREE AWARDED DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING FIVE OF FAMILY
in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, India, the fast track court-IV sentenced Umesh Shukla and his two sons to death for killed Shriniwas, his wife and his three sons over a land dispute on May 31, 2009, in Atrauli town.
- FEBRUARY 8, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIAN IN UAE GETS DEATH SENTENCE
an Indian sailor, identified as AS, 25, was sentenced to death in the United Arab Emirates for sexually assaulting and killing a woman who worked with him.