A Study of Constitutional Validity of Capital Punishment in India

The same premise—that wrongdoing must be punished—underlies all punishments. The majority of religious and moral systems preach that bad actions have bad results. To stop others from committing wrongdoing is the primary goal of punishment for offenders. Its severity and irreversibility make its justice, appropriateness, and effectiveness more debatable than those of other penalties. Supporters of the death penalty regard it as a potent deterrent to crime. They emphasise the use of the death penalty as a deterrent or as a tool to prevent or punish crime. They think it provides the most justice for those who were victims of horrific atrocities.In India, the execution of death row inmates has altered over time. When it came to the offences for which it was used, the death penalty was more frequently and harshly enforced in the past. For instance, in the 1950s and 1960s, the death penalty was applied to a variety of crimes, such as rape, attempted murder, and drug-related offences. However, since the 1990s, the death penalty has been reserved for the most heinous crimes and is no longer applied as regularly. For instance, in India there were only 8 executions in 2010 compared to 151 in 1995.Conflict has long surrounded the death penalty, not just in India but also in a number of developed nations. In its Charter of Rights, the United Nations proclaims the death penalty to be a crime against humanity and urges all of its member states to do away with it.