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
APRIL 10, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING PREGNANT WIFE
Mahila Sessions Court Judge G. Prathibha Devi on 8 April 2021 awarded the death penalty to Bathula Nambiar alias Sujith, who killed his wife, Sailaja (29) by setting her ablaze.
APRIL 3, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: UP MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPING 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A special POCSO court in Firozabad (UP) on 1 April 2021 sentenced a man to death for raping a 10-year-old girl in December 2020, disposing of the case in a “record” three and a half months.
- MARCH 29, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: FOUR GET DEATH SENTENCE FOR HONOUR KILLING IN JHARKHAND
The district court in Jharkhand’s Koderma on 25 March 2021 awarded death sentence to four people convicted in an honour-killing case. The four convicts include the victim’s parents and her uncle and aunt.
MARCH 23, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE IMPOSED ON YOUNGSTER CONVICTED FOR MURDERING NEIGHBOUR
The Madras High Court on 17 March 2021 commuted from death to life sentence the punishment imposed by a trial court on an unemployed youngster convicted for murdering his 54-year-old woman neighbour in a residential complex.
MARCH 20, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH 26 DAYS AFTER RAPING 5-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A special POCSO court in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district on 17 March 2021 awarded death penalty to a man for raping a 5-year-old girl 26 days ago and appreciated the swift action by the police in the case.
MARCH 17, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: ARIZ KHAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF INSPECTOR MOHAN CHAND SHARMA
A Delhi court on 15 March 2021 awarded the death penalty to convict Ariz Khan for the murder of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in the 2008 Batla House encounter case.
MARCH 11, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MIGRANT WORKER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR 2018 RAPE & MURDER CASE IN KERALA
A migrant worker from Assam on 8 March 2021 was sentenced to death in Kerala by the District and Sessions Court for raping and murdering a 60-year-old woman at Puthenvelikkara in 2018.
MARCH 9, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: UTTARAKHAND MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR SODOMISING AND MURDERING 5-YEAR OLD
A Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) court of Uttarakhand on 6 March 2021 awarded death penalty to a man for sodomising and murdering a 5-year-old child in US Nagar. His parents were also sent to prison for concealing the crime, said an o
MARCH 6, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: BIHAR COURT SENTENCES 9 TO DEATH IN HOOCH TRAGEDY CASE
Nine persons were sentenced to death and four women to life imprisonment in Bihar by Gopalganj Additional District Judge-2 Luv Kush Kumar on 5 March 2021 after they were convicted in the Khajurbanni locality hooch tragedy.
FEBRUARY 25, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HIGH COURT ACQUITS MAN FROM DEATH SENTENCE, ORDERS PROBE AGAINST INVESTIGATING TEAM
The Bombay High Court while acquitting a man from a death sentence for raping and killing a minor girl, on 25 February 2021 ordered a probe against the investigating team for misplacing a vital piece of evidence.
FEBRUARY 24, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: UP COURT AWARDS DEATH SENTENCE TO ACCUSED IN RAPE AND MURDER CASE OF MINOR GIRL
The Additional District Judge (ADJ) of Hardoi, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, on 22 February 2021 awarded death sentence to an accused for rape and murder of a one-and-half year old minor girl.
- FEBRUARY 22, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: BIHAR MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR RAPING, MURDERING MINOR GIRL
A court in Bihar’s Gopalganj district on 20 February 2021 sentenced a man to death for raping and murdering a nine-year-old girl in August last year.
FEBRUARY 22, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: ‘PRESIDENT UNCLE, PLEASE FORGIVE MY MOTHER’, DEATH ROW CONVICT SHABNAM'S SON SEEKS MERCY
The son of a death row convict in Uttar Pradesh's Amroha on 18 February 2021 appealed to President Ram Nath Kovind to commute her death sentence.
- FEBRUARY 18, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING, KILLING MENTALLY RETARDED MINOR BOY
The Mahila Court on 18 February 2021 awarded death penalty to a 34-year-old man hailing from Gujarat for sexually assaulting and murdering a mentally retarded 17-year-old minor boy.
- FEBRUARY 17, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: PATNA SCHOOL PRINCIPAL GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR RAPING CLASS 5 STUDENT
The principal and a teacher of a school in Patna on 15 February 2021 were awarded death sentence and imprisonment for life, respectively, by a court for the rape of a Class 5 student.
JANUARY 27, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: 65% OF DEATH SENTENCES IN 2020 INVOLVED SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Project 39A at National Law University, Delhi, published the fifth edition of the “Death Penalty in India: Annual Statistic Report”
JANUARY 23, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: BROTHER, UNCLE GET DOUBLE DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPING, BEHEADING 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN MP
Terming it as rarest of the rare case, a court in Madhya Pradesh on 20 January 2021 sentenced a 21-year-old man and his 42-year-old uncle to death for raping and beheading a 12-year-old girl.
- JANUARY 21, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: GHAZIABAD MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPING, MURDERING FRIEND'S 2-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
A special POCSO court sentenced a man to death on 20 January 2021 for raping and murdering a two-year-old girl in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), the verdict coming within a month of the crime.
JANUARY 19, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SURENDER KOLI GETS 12TH DEATH SENTENCE IN NITHARI MURDER CASE
A Special CBI court in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on 17 January 2021 awarded death sentence to Surinder Koli in yet another case related to one of the country’s most sensational case — the Nithari serial rape and murder case.
JANUARY 14, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: TWELVE YEARS AFTER HE WAS JAILED, SUPREME COURT ORDERS RELEASE OF DEATH ROW CONVICT
The Supreme Court of India on 5 January 2021 acquitted Hari Om alias 'Hero' who had been convicted and sentenced to death by a trial court for committing murder and dacoity (banditry).
JANUARY 11, 2021IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPE, MURDER
The District and Sessions Court of Haveri, in Karnataka, sentenced a man to death under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act on 7 January 2021, after finding him guilty of raping and murdering a minor girl in 2018.
- DECEMBER 30, 2020IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN AWARDED DOUBLE DEATH PENALTY FOR RAPE, MURDER OF 7-YEAR OLD DALIT GIRL IN TAMIL NADU
A young man was on 29 December 2020 awarded double death sentence by a court in the district of Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu, for the rape and murder of a seven-year old Dalit girl last year.
DECEMBER 28, 2020IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: ASSAM MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPE AND MURDER OF A FIVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A court in Assam on 21 December 2020 sentenced a man to death for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl. The incident reportedly took place in the Dekorai tea garden area under Sootea police station in Bishwanath district in 2018.
- DECEMBER 3, 2020IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPE AND MURDER OF MINOR GIRL
A Firozabad court in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, awarded death sentence on 1st December 2020 in a rape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl last year.
- NOVEMBER 10, 2020IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: COURT SENTENCES MAN TO DEATH FOR MURDERS
A Lucknow court on 6 November 2020 sentenced a man to death for killing his brother, sister-in-law and their two children two and a half years ago.
- NOVEMBER 2, 2020IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SUPREME COURT COMMUTES DEATH PENALTY TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR MAN CONVICTED FOR RAPE, MURDER OF 2-YEAR-OLD
The Supreme Court on 2 November 2020 commuted to life imprisonment the death penalty awarded to a Maharashtra man convicted of raping and killing a 2-year-old infant in 2013.
OCTOBER 28, 2020IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: BIHAR MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING NINE PEOPLE IN WARANGAL
A local court in Warangal on 28 October 2020 awarded death penalty to a migrant worker after holding him guilty of killing nine persons and dumping them in a well near a gunny bags manufacturing unit in Gorrekunta village on 21 May.
OCTOBER 21, 2020IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: ASSAM DEATH PENALTY FOR LYNCHING DOCTOR
A Jorhat court on 21 October 2020 handed death penalty to an accused and life terms to 24 others convicted in the Dr Deben Dutta lynching case of 2019.
OCTOBER 17, 2020IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HAPUR COURT AWARDS DEATH PENALTY FOR RAPE, MURDER OF MINOR
The District and Sessions Court of Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, on 15 October 2020 awarded death penalty to two domestic helps for raping and killing a 12-year-old girl in September 2018.
OCTOBER 7, 2020IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: DELHI MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR MURDERING 11-YEAR-OLD BOY
A Delhi court on 6 October 2020 awarded death penalty to a 32-year man for killing an 11-year-old child after kidnapping him in 2009, saying the act was “cruel and gruesome and did not deserve leniency”.