The Pulse - Death Penalty: Delay & Justice

On January 22, 2020, the Union government moved the Supreme Court for fixing a seven-day deadline for the execution of death row convicts.In its plea, the Ministry sought a direction from the top court in fixing the deadline for filing of curative pleas after the rejection of review petitions. It wants the apex court to introduce a 7-day deadline for death-row convicts to file mercy petitions. If the convict of death sentence wants to file mercy petition, it would be mandatory for a convict of death sentence to do so only within a period of seven days from the date of receipt of death warrant issued by the competent court.The govt also asked the Supreme Court to order all courts and state governments to issue death warrants within seven days of the President rejecting the mercy petitions and to execute them within seven days, irrespective of the status of any petition that the convict may file.It submitted that while taking care of the rights of the convicts, it is more important and need of the hour to lay down guidelines in the interest of the victims, their families and in larger public interest, lest the convicts found to be guilty of such horrible, dreadful and heinous offences would be permitted to play with the majesty of law, prolonging the execution of the sentence awarded to them in accordance with the law.The present concern largely seems to have been caused by the multiple petitions from the convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape case, and a consequent change of date of execution. These delays are once again giving rise to public ire, leading to demands for fixing a time frame in the administration of justice...On the Pulse this week, we're going to talk about the factors that lead to delays in death sentence executions...Is there a need to fast-track death penalty... and the legal entitlements of the death-row convicts.

Guest - Lalitha Kumaramangalam, Former Chairperson, National Commission for Women
Archana Pathak Dave, Advocate, Supreme Court
Dr. Charu Walikhanna, Advocate, Supreme Court & Human Rights Activist
L N Rao, Former DCP, Delhi Police


Anchor- TEENA JHA