Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking abolition of execution by hanging
The Indian Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking to abolish execution by hanging in favor of less painful methods like lethal injection. The court stated it cannot force the legislature to change sentencing modes but noted the government may review execution methods through an expert committee.
Why it matters
The ruling maintains the status quo for capital punishment in India while highlighting the ongoing legal and ethical debate regarding the humaneness of state-sanctioned executions.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) dismissed a petition seeking the abolition of the present practice of executing a death row convict by hanging and replacing it with less painful methods such as intravenous lethal injection.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said its verdict would not preclude the Centre from undertaking a comprehensive review of the existing method of execution through an expert body with a view to examining whether any alternative method of execution better serves the constitutional objective of minimising unnecessary pain while preserving the dignity of the condemned prisoner.
The bench delivered its verdict on a plea, filed in 2017 by senior advocate Rishi Malhotra, seeking removal of the present mode of execution of death row convicts by hanging from the statute.
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