Supreme Court Upholds Accused-Centric Guidelines in Death Penalty Cases
The Supreme Court dismissed the Centre's plea for victim-centric guidelines in death penalty cases, asserting that existing guidelines from the 2014 Shatrughan Chauhan case remain valid. The Centre argued for swift execution after convictions, citing delays and convict-centric rules, but the court found no merit in modifying the guidelines.
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- India
The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by the Centre seeking to establish victim-centric guidelines in death penalty cases. This move maintains the status quo of the guidelines that have been in place since the 2014 Shatrughan Chauhan v. Union of India case.
The application, brought forward by the Centre in January 2020, contended that existing guidelines favored the accused and failed to address the suffering and justice owed to victims and society. The request was prompted by prolonged delays in executing death sentences, notably seen in the 2012 Nirbhaya case.
Despite these arguments, the bench led by Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria found no merit in the application, noting that the 2014 case had already achieved finality. The Centre had urged a seven-day window for executions post black warrant issuance, but the court upheld the existing judicial process.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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