Amnesty International
INDIA: RELEASE OF MAJOR STUDY ON INDIA'S LEGAL JUDGEMENTS ON DEATH PENALTY
Today, on 2 May, a press conference was held in New Delhi to release a major study of around 700 Supreme Court judgements on death penalty cases over 50 years and published by the People's Union for Civil Liberties (Tamil Nadu & Puducherry) and Amnesty International. The study, entitled, Lethal Lottery: The Death Penalty in India, A study of Supreme Court judgments in death penalty cases 1950-2006examines the essential arbitrariness in the application of the death penalty in India and exposes a judicial system that has failed to meet international standards of fairness.
One of the main authors of this report is ADPAN member from India, lawyer, Bikram Jeet Batra.
Please see:
- The press report, http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/india-time-end-lethal-lottery-india%E2%80%99s
-death-penalty-system-20080502
- Study, Lethal Lottery: The Death Penalty in India, A study of Supreme Court judgments in death penalty cases 1950-2006
- A short summary of the above report
- Action circular for ADPAN members. This action draws upon the findings of the study and aims to expose the inherent weakneses in the judicial system on the death penalty and seeks to persuade parliamentarians and lawyers that steps should be taken to introduce a moratorium with a view to the eventual abolition of the death penalty in India. This action circular is not intended for wide distribution.
Activities include lobbying around the next ASEM meeting in October and appeals to the Indian authorities and lawyers. The action can begin on 2 May and end November 2008. |