CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Capital Offences are those offenses in which death is the only punishment like murder, genocide, a crime against humanity, kidnapping, abetment of suicide, etc.

Capital Punishment is the punishment in which the state kills the Wrongdoer legally when an accused has done any capital crime. The punishment of crime depends on the discretion of the court. It depends upon circumstances. Capital Punishment is a legal procedure, in which this state has its power to take an individual’s life.

During the British period, Capital Punishment was very commonly awarded.

• In the first 5 years after the Constitution of India was enforced the death penalty was given for punishment of capital crimes.

• After 1955, Capital Punishment depends upon the discretion of the courts.

• In 1973, the Criminal Procedural Code was amended, it was made mandatory to specify the main reason for giving life imprisonment.

• In Bacchan Singh’s case, the Apex Court held that the death sentence will only be awarded in rarest to rare cases (like rape).

 Nathuram Godse was the first person in India who got Capital Punishment after 1947, he was the person who killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Capital Punishment has various ways-

1. Hanging- In this the convicted is killed by hanging by the neck. In India, only this method is followed.

2. Electric Chair- In this method death is given by electric chair by passing high voltage of current.

3. Lethal Injection- In this, they inject more than one drug in the accused for immediate death. It is mainly used in America.

4. Firing Squad- In this method, the accused is killed by firing from more than two people.

5. Gas Chamber- It is the killing of humans or animals with poisonous gas in a sealed chamber. It contains a poisonous agent that is commonly used is hydrogen cyanide, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. For example- Hitler used this method on jews people.

6. Stoning- In this the accused is killed by throwing stones.

Antonyms of Capital Punishment-

• Abandoning

• Failure

• Ignorance

• Neglect

• Forgetting

• Leaving

• Disregard

Synonyms of Capital Punishment-

• Death sentence

• Death Warrant

• Execution

• Judicial Execution

• Judicial Murder

• Legalized Killing

Sentences-

i. Hanging was the usual mode of Capital Punishment with the Anglo-Saxons.

ii. It declared the previous verdict null and void while converting Capital Punishment into Life Sentence.

iii. Under the Penal Law in Bahrain, drug dealers may be sentenced from 10 years to life imprisonment and even Criminal Punishment.