Context-The fourth edition of ‘The Death Penalty in India: Annual Statistics’ published by Project 39A of NLU-Delhi said the number of death sentences awarded for murders involving sexual offences in 2019 was at the highest in four years.

Findings

• The trial courts in India imposed 102 death sentences in 2019, a significant drop from 162 death sentences in 2018.
• However, the percentage of sexual offences in these cases increased from 41.35 (67 out of 162) in 2018 to 52.94 in 2019 (54 out of 102 sentences).
• This trend was also seen at the High Courts where 65.38% (17 out of 26) cases of confirmations of death sentences involved sexual offences along with murder, the highest in four years
• The Supreme Court in 2019 dealt with 27 capital punishment cases, highest number since 2001, primarily under former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi’s tenure.
• The Supreme Court last year confirmed the death penalty of seven cases out of which four were of murder involving sexual offences. It commuted a total of 17 cases of death penalty.
• It observed that the amendment to The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, introducing stringent mandatory minimum punishments and death penalty for penetrative sexual assault on children was a major development in this direction.
• Additionally, in response to the public outcry following a brutal gang-rape and murder in Hyderabad, the Andhra Pradesh amended the Indian Penal Code to introduce the death penalty for rape

National Law University (Delhi)

• The National Law University, Delhi was established in 2008 under the National Law University Act, 2007 with the objective of imparting comprehensive and interdisciplinary legal education
• The University is committed to disseminating legal knowledge and developing the pedagogical acumen necessary to engage with contemporary legal issues of public importance.

Project 39A

• Project 39A is inspired by Article 39-A of the Indian Constitution, a provision that furthers the intertwined values of equal justice and equal opportunity by removing economic and social barriers
• Project 39A is a research and litigation initiative focussed on the criminal justice system.
• Annual Statistics, published by Project 39A at the National Law University (NLU), Delhi.
• Project 39A aims to trigger new conversations on legal aid, torture, DNA forensics, mental health in prisons, and the death penalty.