The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition by rights activist to replace hanging with lethal injection as a method of execution. The apex court say that there was no evidence that it was less painful than other ways.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition by rights activist to replace hanging with lethal injection as a method of execution. The apex court say that there was no evidence that it was less painful than other ways.
ADVERTISEMENT
The petitioner, Ashok Kumar Walia, had argued that hanging was a "cruel and painful" method of execution and should be replaced by lethal injection, which is used in more than 30 US states as a primary method of execution.
"How do you know that hanging causes pain? And how do you know that injecting the condemned prisoner with a lethal drug would not cause pain?" Supreme Court Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan questioned.
Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam said experts believe that hanging u2014 meant to dislocate the neck and sever the spinal cord u2014 causes instant death.
The judges suggested that Walia instead campaign for abolition of the death penalty in India.
The judges noted that the death penalty is awarded only in the "rarest of rare" cases.
India last carried out the death sentence in 2004, when Dhananjaya Chatterjee (39) was hanged for raping and murdering a 14-year-old school girl in 1990.
The government says 28 convicts are in line to be hanged for various offenses, including Afzal Guru - convicted of taking part in an attack on India's Parliament on December 13, 2001.
Their mercy petitions against their execution are still under government review.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
