Supreme Court raps Centre on hanging; seeks humane execution alternatives
What's the story
The Supreme Court has expressed its discontent over the central government's opposition to replacing hanging with lethal injection as a method of execution. The suggestion was made in a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to end death by hanging. The court's bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, noted that the government seems unwilling to adapt to modern practices.
Execution debate
'Policy decision': Government's stand on lethal injection execution method
Justice Mehta questioned the government's stance, saying, "Problem is, the government is not ready to evolve...it's a very old procedure, things have changed over a period of time." Senior Advocate Sonia Mathur defended the government's position by saying it was a policy decision. The PIL seeks to replace hanging with methods like lethal injection or shooting that could execute convicts within minutes.
Petition arguments
Petitioner calls hanging 'cruel, barbaric and lingering'
The petitioner, Advocate Rishi Malhotra, argued for lethal injection over hanging. He noted that 49 US states use it and called hanging "cruel, barbaric, and lingering." The petition also seeks to declare the right to a dignified death as a fundamental right under Article 21 of India's Constitution. It claims current execution methods violate this right and United Nations resolutions on minimizing suffering during capital punishment.
Expert committee
Supreme Court had earlier suggested forming expert committee
In March 2023, the court had considered forming an expert committee to study the impact of hanging, the pain caused, the period taken for such death to take place, and the availability of resources to effectuate such hanging by death. Attorney General R Venkataramani later recommended such a committee to explore better execution alternatives. The matter has now been adjourned till November 11 for further hearings on this issue.