{"id":324067,"date":"2025-01-21T18:11:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T12:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=324067"},"modified":"2025-01-21T18:11:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T12:41:45","slug":"challenges-in-death-penalty-and-sentencing-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/challenges-in-death-penalty-and-sentencing-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenges in Death Penalty and Sentencing Decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source<\/strong>: The post Challenges in Death Penalty and Sentencing Decisions has been created, based on the article \u201cMitigating circumstances: Why RG Kar rape case convict was not given death penalty<\/strong>\u201d published in \u201cIndian Express<\/strong>\u201d on 21st January 2025<\/p>\n

UPSC Syllabus Topic:<\/strong> GS Paper 2<\/strong> \u2013 Governance \u2013 Criminal Justice System in India<\/p>\n

Context<\/strong>: The article discusses the RG Kar rape case verdict, life imprisonment for Sanjoy Roy, and debates on imposing the death penalty. It explains the “rarest of rare” doctrine, factors influencing sentencing, and challenges in ensuring fair hearings for mitigating circumstances.<\/p>\n

For detailed information on Execution of death penalty in India <\/strong>read this article here<\/a><\/p>\n

What is the “Rarest of Rare” Doctrine?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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  1. The Supreme Court in Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980)<\/em> upheld the death penalty but restricted it to \u201crarest of rare\u201d cases.<\/li>\n
  2. Courts must assess aggravating circumstances<\/strong> (e.g., extreme brutality, premeditation) and mitigating circumstances<\/strong> (e.g., emotional disturbance, potential for reform) before imposing death.<\/li>\n
  3. The \u201crarest of rare\u201d doctrine has evolved to focus on both the crime and the convict. Initially, decisions like Machhi Singh (1983)<\/em> emphasized shocking society’s conscience. Later cases, such as Santosh Bariyar (2009)<\/em>, highlighted reform potential.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For detailed information on Death penalty: Deciding the rarest of the rare<\/strong> read this article here<\/a><\/p>\n

    What Are Aggravating and Mitigating Circumstances?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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    1. Aggravating Circumstances<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n