Indian government has said country won’t abolish death penalty.

New Delhi, Aug 6/Nationalturk – Turning down pleas of human rights groups and activists, Indian government has said country won’t abolish death penalty.

“At present, there is no proposal in Ministry of Home Affairs to amend the Indian Penal Code, 1860 to abolish capital punishment in the country,” Indian Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju informed lawmakers in Lok Sabha, lower house of Indian parliament.

In recent past, India has hanged two convicts for terrorism links.

An alleged Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab involved in 26/11 (Terror attacks in Mumbai) and a citizen of Indian administered Kashmir Mohammad Afzal Guru allegedly involved in terror attack on Indian parliament were hanged in secretly.

There have been calls from human rights groups and activists that death penalty should not be awarded and if necessary, then awarded in rare of rare cases.

HR groups demand commuting of death sentence of convicts

The HR groups have been urging Indian government to commute death sentence of convicts in life imprisonment.

Indian minister said Law Commission of India has posted a Consultation Paper on capital punishment on its website in the May, 2014 seeking suggestions/ comments on the issue.

India retains the death penalty as punishment for a number of crimes including murder, kidnapping, terrorism, desertion, inducement to suicide of a minor or a mentally-retarded person and has more recently in 2013 come to include the offence of rape in certain circumstances. It is mandatory for second convictions for drug trafficking offences.

Death sentences are carried out by hanging. In 1983, Indian Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of this method, saying, “it involves no barbarity, torture or degradation.”

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Asia News/ NationalTurk India News