Abstract

Execution of a person (sentenced to death) after being convicted of a crime by a court of law of a criminal offence is capital punishment, popularly known as the death penalty. Under the law of Draco (c. 7th century BCE), capital punishment for crimes like murder, treason, arson, and rape was frequently practised in ancient Greece, despite Plato's contention that it should only be reserved for the truly evil. Although citizens were exempted for a brief period during the republic, the Romans also utilised it for a wide variety of transgressions. Most of the major religions in the world have at one point or another approved of it. The authorised execution of a person who has committed a heinous criminal offence that is against the law is the capital punishment. A person is executed by the state as retribution for the crime he committed under the legal term "death penalty," which is recognised by the government. In the United Nations (UN), where the death penalty is viewed as a violation of human rights, the phrase "Abolition of Death Penalty" is one of the most frequently discussed themes. In Rajendra Prasad v. State of Uttar Pradesh, Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer made the following remark: “The special reason must relate, not to the crime but to the criminal. The crime may be shocking and yet the criminal may not deserve the Death Penalty.”.

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