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 12, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN ANDHRA PRADESH FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT ON MINOR GIRL
The POCSO Court of Andhra Pradesh on 10 October 2022 awarded death sentence to J. Anil (30) who sexually assaulted a minor girl at Nunna village.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC ACQUITS DEATH ROW CONVICT FOR RAPE, MURDER, CRITICIZES LOWER COURTS FOR LACK OF SCRUTINY
"Court cannot make someone a victim of injustice to compensate for the injustice to the victim of a crime", the Supreme Court on 28 September 2022 said while acquitting a death row convict for the alleged rape and murder of a six-year-old.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: TWO SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER IN JANJGIR CHAMPA
A court in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir Champa district on 19 September 2022 sentenced two persons to death for the murder of a gram panchayat member in 2021.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: TWO GET DEATH SENTENCE FOR KILLING SIX OF FAMILY IN RAJASTHAN
A court in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara on 6 August 2022 sentenced to death two men for murdering a couple and their four children in the district seven years ago.
SEPTEMBER 6, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: 15 AWARDED DEATH FOR KILLING PRISONER IN JHARKHAND JAIL
Fifteen people were sentenced to death by Jamshedpur court on 18 August 2022 for killing an inmate of the Ghaghidih Central Jail during a clash between two groups in 2019.
AUGUST 3, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: DRIVER WHO KILLED BUSINESSMAN, 6 OF HIS FAMILY IN GHAZIABAD GETS DEATH SENTENCE
Describing the nature of the crime as "rarest of rare", a Ghaziabad court on 1st August 2022 handed the death sentence to a 30-year-old man for stabbing to death his former employer and six members of his family in 2013, reports Shafaque Alam.
AUGUST 2, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH BY GUJARAT COURT FOR RAPE, MURDER OF MINOR GIRL
A 31-year-old man was sentenced to death by a special court in Gujarat on 26 July 2022 for kidnapping, raping and murdering a minor girl, a verdict coming less than four months after the offence was committed.
- JUNE 28, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH PENALTY TO YOUTH FOR RAPE AND MURDER
A court in East Burdwan’s Katwa on 24 June 2022 handed the death penalty to a youth for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in 2018.
MAY 26, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: 3 MEN GET DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING SISTER IN HARIDWAR
Three members of the same family were awarded the death penalty by an Additional District and Sessions Court in Haridwar (Uttarakhand) on 20 May 2022, for murdering their sister.
MAY 25, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SPECIAL CBI COURT AWARDS DEATH PENALTY TO MAIN ACCUSED SURINDER KOLI IN NITHARI CASE
The main accused in the Nithari killings, Surinder Koli, on 19 May 2022 was awarded the death penalty by a special CBI court in Ghaziabad.
MAY 24, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: UP GANGSTERS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN SENSATIONAL NIA OFFICER, WIFE'S MURDER
A court in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor district on 20 May 2022 sentenced two gangsters to death for murdering an NIA officer and his wife six years ago.
- MAY 12, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: FOUR SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR GANG RAPE, MURDER BY BIHAR COURT
A court in Bihar’s Supaul on 11 May 2022 sentenced to death four persons convicted in a 2019 gang rape and murder case.
- MAY 12, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: FENIL GOYANI SENTENCED TO DEATH IN GRISHMA VEKARIYA MURDER CASE
The Surat sessions court on 5 May 2022 awarded death sentence to Fenil Goyani (20) for the murder of 21-year-old college student Grishma Vekariya outside her house at Pasodara area of Surat in February.
- MAY 5, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SUPREME COURT COMMUTES DEATH PENALTY TO 20-YEAR JAIL IN MINOR’S RAPE-MURDER CASE
The Supreme Court on 19 April 2022 commuted the death sentence of a man, who had sexually assaulted and killed a four-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh in April 2013, to 20-year imprisonment.
MAY 3, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: 5 SENTENCED TO DEATH, 1 TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR 2015 DOUBLE MURDER
Five people were sentenced to death and one to life imprisonment on 25 April 2022 in the state of Uttar Pradesh, for murdering two persons over a land dispute in Aligarh, in 2015.
MAY 3, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: BOMBAY HIGH COURT PERMITS 2 CONVICTS ON DEATH ROW TO PURSUE STUDIES WHILE IN PRISON
The Bombay High Court permitted 2 convicts sentenced to death in 2017 for raping and killing a minor girl to pursue their studies through open university while in prison.
APRIL 11, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: THREE GET DEATH SENTENCE IN ASSAM FOR RAPE AND MURDER OF TWO TRIBAL GIRLS
Three persons were awarded death sentence on 8 April 2022 by a fast-track court in Assam for the rape and murder of two tribal girls last year.
- MARCH 23, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR HONOUR KILLING
A court in Ahmedabad on 15 March 2022 punished one Hardik Chavda (27) with death for killing his pregnant sister and brother-in-law in a case of honour killing in Sanand town in September 2018.
- MARCH 9, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR MURDER, RAPE OF WOMAN AND DAUGHTER IN GUJARAT
A court in Gujarat on 7 March 2022 sentenced a man to death for raping and murdering a woman and her 11-year-old daughter in 2018, a case that had triggered national outrage. His accomplice was given life imprisonment on the charge of murder.
- MARCH 2, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN FROM PUNE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KIDNAPPING, RAPING AND KILLING TWO-YEAR-OLD
The Pune court on 28 February 2022 pronounced the death penalty to a 38-year-old man in a case related to sexual assault and murder of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl.
- FEBRUARY 27, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: BOMBAY HIGH COURT SETS ASIDE DEATH PENALTY IN RAPE AND MURDER CASE; ACQUITS ACCUSED OF MURDER, UPHOLDS RAPE CHARGE
The Bombay High Court on 23 February 2022 quashed the death sentence of a man convicted of killing and raping a girl on the ground that the accusation of murder could not be proven.
FEBRUARY 20, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: 38 PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER 2008 BOMBINGS
A court in India on 18 February 2022 sentenced 38 people to death and ordered life in prison for 11 others over a series of bomb blasts in 2008 that killed dozens in the western city of Ahmedabad.
- FEBRUARY 14, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPE, MURDER OF FOUR-YEAR-OLD
A POCSO court in Rajasthan has awarded death sentence to a man for raping and killing a four-year-old girl, police officials said in Jaipur on 11 February 2022.
FEBRUARY 1, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: 488 CONVICTS ON DEATH ROW AT THE END OF 2021
There are about 488 convicts on death row across India at the end of December 2021, the highest since 2004.
- JANUARY 27, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: BIHAR POSCO COURT SENTENCES MAN TO DEATH FOR RAPE OF SIX-YEAR-OLD
A special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on 26 January 2022 sentenced a 48-year-old man to death for the rape of a six-year-old girl in Bihar’s Araria.
JANUARY 23, 2022IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: TWO SISTERS ON DEATH ROW SPARED THE NOOSE BY BOMBAY HC
Observing that state machinery showed “laxity and indifference” in deciding their mercy plea, the Bombay High Court, in Maharashtra state,n on 18 January 2022 commuted the death sentences awarded to sisters Renuka Shinde and Seema Gavit to life imprisonme
- DECEMBER 12, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF CONVICT WHO KILLED 2 SIBLINGS, NEPHEW
The Supreme Court of India on 10 December 2021 commuted the death sentence of a convict for the murder of his two siblings and nephew over a property dispute, stating that the court should take into account the criminal's state of mind along with the crim
- DECEMBER 8, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: CONVICT GETS DEATH PENALTY IN GUJARAT FOR RAPE AND MURDER OF TODDLER
Surat special court for Protection of Children for Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act awarded death penalty on 7 December 2021 to the convict Guddu Yadav (35) for rape and murder of a two-year-old minor girl in Pandesara area, in the indian State of Gujarat.
- DECEMBER 5, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN ESCAPES GALLOWS IN SODOMY OF BOY WHO LATER DIED
The Madras high court on 3 December 2021 commuted the death sentence awarded to a man to 30 years of imprisonment in a case where the man had sexually assaulted and caused the death of a 17-year-old mentally challenged boy in Pudukottai district in 2019.
NOVEMBER 25, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MUMBAI'S HIGH COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCES IN RAPE CASE
Mumbai's High Court on 25 November 2021 commuted the death sentences of three men convicted in a rape case that heightened public outrage over women's safety in India.