A BROAD PERSPECTIVE ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Best Citation – M Elavenil, A Broad Perspective on Capital Punishment, 1 IJLR & 32 (2021)

Abstract

“Capital Punishment” or “Death Penalty” is the highest level of punishment awarded in any society or democracy to maintain law and order. But killing another human being in the name of justice is no better than murdering someone. We should focus on eliminating the crime not the criminal. China is the only country in the world where the practice of death penalty is still at its peak with over 1000 executions every year, whereas in India the doctrine of “Rarest of the Rare” is followed and often the death sentence gets commuted to life imprisonment. But still India has executed a total of 4 criminals from the period of 2002 to 2015. Both the countries have various similarities in the procedure and law of capital punishment. We are no one to decide who gets to live and who gets to die. Therefore instead of hanging someone to death we should adapt a different approach i.e. the reformative approach so that one could improve himself and can live peacefully thereafter. This paper will discuss current scenario of capital punishment in India and how it still longs here.

KEYWORD: Capital Punishment, Indian Penal Code, United Nations, Human Rights.