Capital punishment: South Asia
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A recently released report of Amnesty International on death sentences and executions in 2014 says that capital punishment is being used at an alarming rate because of perceived threats to states' safety because of terrorist activities and internal instability. For instance, Pakistan lifted a six-year moratorium on the death penalty after the Peshawar school attack. The organization estimates that at least 2,466 death sentences were awarded in 2014, 28% more than in 2013. In India, at least 64 were awarded the death sentence in 2014, but no executions were carried out Source: Amnesty International, reliable data not availabe for China, North Korea and South Sudan | A recently released report of Amnesty International on death sentences and executions in 2014 says that capital punishment is being used at an alarming rate because of perceived threats to states' safety because of terrorist activities and internal instability. For instance, Pakistan lifted a six-year moratorium on the death penalty after the Peshawar school attack. The organization estimates that at least 2,466 death sentences were awarded in 2014, 28% more than in 2013. In India, at least 64 were awarded the death sentence in 2014, but no executions were carried out Source: Amnesty International, reliable data not availabe for China, North Korea and South Sudan | ||
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| + | = Convicts can not be hanged secretly and hurriedly: SC = | ||
| + | [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com//Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Convicts-cant-be-hanged-secretly-and-hurriedly-SC-28052015007014 ''India Today''] | ||
| + | May 28 2015 | ||
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| + | AmitAnand Choudhary | ||
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| + | ''' `They Must Be Allowed To Exhaust All Legal Remedies, Meet Family' ''' | ||
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| + | Condemned prisoners also have a right to dignity, the Supreme Court has said holding that execution of death sentence cannot be carried out in an arbitrary , hurried and secret manner without allowing convicts to exhaust all legal remedies and meet family members. | ||
| + | “Right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution does not end with the confirmation of the death sentence. Even in cases of death row convicts, their right to dignity must be protected,“ said a bench of Justices A K Sikri and U U Lalit while quashing the execution warrants of a young woman and her lover, convicted for killing seven members of her fam ily, including a 10-month-old baby , in Uttar Pradesh in 2008. | ||
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| + | The observations assume significance in the context of the hue and cry raised by human rights activists after Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was hanged in the capital's Tihar jail in 2013 even before his family members could get the intimation. | ||
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| + | In the case of the couple -Shabnam and Saleem -the bench said, “We find that death warrant was signed by the sessions judge in haste without waiting for convict to exhaust all legal remedies.“ It pointed out that the condemned prisoners can file a review petition before the SC and can also seek mercy from the the President or governor. | ||
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| + | Referring to the Allahabad HC order on the procedure to be followed for execution of death sentence, the bench said that principles of natural justice must be followed and sufficient notice given to the convict before the issuance of death warrant to enable himher to pursue legal recourse and have a final meeting with family members. In cases where a convict is not in a position to get legal assistance, legal aid must be provided, it said. | ||
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| + | The bench expressed surprise on the “unwarranted“ haste with which the Amroha court issued execution warrants, just six days after the SC awarded death to the couple on May 15 for wiping out the woman's entire family to remove opposition to their affair and grab family property. | ||
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| + | The apex court said the sessions court issued the warrant without waiting for the mandatory 30 days to allow death row convicts to avail judicial remedy of filing petitions for a review. | ||
Revision as of 20:30, 31 May 2015
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Death sentence: 2014
Apr 10 2015
A recently released report of Amnesty International on death sentences and executions in 2014 says that capital punishment is being used at an alarming rate because of perceived threats to states' safety because of terrorist activities and internal instability. For instance, Pakistan lifted a six-year moratorium on the death penalty after the Peshawar school attack. The organization estimates that at least 2,466 death sentences were awarded in 2014, 28% more than in 2013. In India, at least 64 were awarded the death sentence in 2014, but no executions were carried out Source: Amnesty International, reliable data not availabe for China, North Korea and South Sudan
Convicts can not be hanged secretly and hurriedly: SC
India Today May 28 2015
AmitAnand Choudhary
`They Must Be Allowed To Exhaust All Legal Remedies, Meet Family'
Condemned prisoners also have a right to dignity, the Supreme Court has said holding that execution of death sentence cannot be carried out in an arbitrary , hurried and secret manner without allowing convicts to exhaust all legal remedies and meet family members. “Right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution does not end with the confirmation of the death sentence. Even in cases of death row convicts, their right to dignity must be protected,“ said a bench of Justices A K Sikri and U U Lalit while quashing the execution warrants of a young woman and her lover, convicted for killing seven members of her fam ily, including a 10-month-old baby , in Uttar Pradesh in 2008.
The observations assume significance in the context of the hue and cry raised by human rights activists after Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was hanged in the capital's Tihar jail in 2013 even before his family members could get the intimation.
In the case of the couple -Shabnam and Saleem -the bench said, “We find that death warrant was signed by the sessions judge in haste without waiting for convict to exhaust all legal remedies.“ It pointed out that the condemned prisoners can file a review petition before the SC and can also seek mercy from the the President or governor.
Referring to the Allahabad HC order on the procedure to be followed for execution of death sentence, the bench said that principles of natural justice must be followed and sufficient notice given to the convict before the issuance of death warrant to enable himher to pursue legal recourse and have a final meeting with family members. In cases where a convict is not in a position to get legal assistance, legal aid must be provided, it said.
The bench expressed surprise on the “unwarranted“ haste with which the Amroha court issued execution warrants, just six days after the SC awarded death to the couple on May 15 for wiping out the woman's entire family to remove opposition to their affair and grab family property.
The apex court said the sessions court issued the warrant without waiting for the mandatory 30 days to allow death row convicts to avail judicial remedy of filing petitions for a review.
