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
- 1,866
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 1,866 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 30, 2008Sri LankaDEATH PENALTYUAE. FORMER INMATE SAVES TWO FRIENDS FROM DEATH ROW
an Indian and a Sri Lankan were saved from death row in the United Arab Emirates by
- MAY 28, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA AFTER 13 YRS, BHAGALPUR READIES HANGMAN NOOSE
the Bhagalpur Central Jail in India will be witnessing its first execution in 13 years.
- MAY 22, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: WE ARE STUDYING THE DEATH PENALTY: NHRC CHIEF
the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is independently studying the validity of the death penalty in India, says its chief, Justice (Retd) S. Rajendra Babu
- MAY 21, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIAN CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS SEEK AFZAL GURU'S RELEASE
several Indian civil liberties and democratic rights organisations sought the immediate release of Mohammed Afzal Guru, who was falsely implicated in the Indian parliament attack case on December 13, 2001, and awarded capital punishment.
- MAY 18, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH SENTENCE IN HIGHWAY MURDER CASE
the first accused in the sensational Kanichukulangara highway triple murder case that rocked Kerala in 2005 was sentenced to death
- MAY 16, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR CHILD MURDER AND RAPE
the Indian Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for the rape and murder of two minors in December 1999 in Satara district of Maharashtra.
MAY 14, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA. DEATH SENTENCE FOR ACCUSED IN MULTIPLE CAB DRIVER MURDERS
in India, Additional Sessions Judge Balbir Singh awarded the death sentence to a man accused
- MAY 12, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH SENTENCE OF SIXTH MUMBAI BLAST CONVICT SUSPENDED
the Indian Supreme Court temporarily suspended the capital punishment awarded to a convict for killing 88 people during the 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai.
- MAY 7, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: HC UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPE, MURDER
the Orissa High Court in India upheld a death sentence awarded by a lower court and confirmed the conviction terming it as “rarest of the rare” incident.
- MAY 2, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
AMNESTY URGES INDIA TO BAND EXECUTIONS
Rights group Amnesty International urged the Indian government to impose an immediate moratorium on executions and move to abolish the death penalty.
- APRIL 30, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: HC UPHOLDS DEATH TERM TO FATHER FOR MURDERING SONS
the Punjab and Haryana High Court in India upheld the death sentence...
- APRIL 30, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC RESERVES VERDICT ON SHRADHANANDA'S PLEA AGAINST DEATH SENTENCE
the Indian Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a petition filed by Swami Shradhananda, alias Murli Manohar Mishra, challenging his death sentence handed down for burying his wife alive in 1991.
- APRIL 29, 2008PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN: SARABJIT’S EXECUTION PROCEDURALLY DELAYED BY 14-21 DAYS
the execution of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan was procedurally delayed by 14 to 21 days, Dawn News reported.
- APRIL 28, 2008KuwaitDEATH PENALTY
KUWAIT: KERALA YOUTH SAVED FROM GALLOWS IN KUWAIT
after months of suspense, Simil, a youth from Kerala, India, who was sentenced to death in Kuwait for inadvertently killing a fellow Indian worker, was pardoned.
- APRIL 27, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: BENCH COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE
the Madras High Court Bench in India commuted the death sentence imposed on a 25 year old man to life imprisonment.
- APRIL 25, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: CONVICT APPEALS IN ALADI ARUNA MURDER CASE
a convict sentenced to death in the Aladi Aruna Murder Case filed an appeal against his conviction before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in India.
- APRIL 24, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
AMNESTY TO RELEASE INDIA-SPECIFIC DEATH PENALTY REPORT
human rights watchdog Amnesty International India and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, will release a Report on Death Penalty on May 2.
- APRIL 18, 2008PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN POSTPONES HANGING OF INDIAN NATIONAL - PAPER
Pakistan postponed the hanging of Sarabjit Singh to June 1, hours after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee appealed to Islamabad to give the "unfortunate human being" clemency on humanitarian grounds
- APRIL 17, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: 2 GET DEATH FOR TAMIL NADU MINISTER'S MURDER
a sessions court in Tirunelveli, India, sentenced two people to death for the murder of Aladi Aruna, a former Tamil Nadu minister.
- APRIL 15, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: TAMIL NADU MAN GETS DEATH FOR BURNING CHILD TO DEATH
in India, a man named Venkatesan Anna was sentenced to death for the murder of a nine year old girl named Rebecca.
- APRIL 11, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA. 19YO SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
at a lower court in Kochi, India, Principal Sessions Judge Ernakulam, D
- APRIL 4, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA. SC STAYS DEATH PENALTY OF MUMBAI BLAST CONVICT
India’s Supreme Court stayed the death sentence of Zakir Hussain Noor
- APRIL 4, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING OF CHILDREN
describing the killing of three innocent children who were asleep as one of the “rarest of rare cases...
- APRIL 4, 2008KuwaitDEATH PENALTY
INDIAN IN KUWAIT'S DEATH ROW GETS HELP FROM NRIS
an Indian sentenced to death in Kuwait for the murder of a Nepali girl is likely to get a fresh stab at life thanks to generous NRIs in the Gulf region who paid blood money to the victim's family.
- MARCH 31, 2008United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
EMIRATI SAVES TWO PRISONERS FROM CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
an Emirati man's charity gave a new lease on life to two prisoners sentenced to
- MARCH 29, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: ADVANI WILL GO BY SC VERDICT ON AFZAL
Indian NDA Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani indicated that if voted to power...
- MARCH 20, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has delayed by 30 days the execution of
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has delayed by 30 days the execution of
- MARCH 15, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
a local court in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, in India, awarded the death penalty to a
a local court in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, in India, awarded the death penalty to a
- MARCH 5, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
the High Court in Delhi, India, commuted the death sentence of Tyagi...
the High Court in Delhi, India, commuted the death sentence of Tyagi...
- MARCH 4, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
a district court in Baghpat, India, awarded the death penalty to an accused in a
a district court in Baghpat, India, awarded the death penalty to an accused in a