Editorial: In search of ‘humane’ death — the debate over India’s capital punishment

Before debating whether hanging or lethal injection is cruel, India must ask the bigger question: Does death penalty actually deter heinous crimes?

The Supreme Court of India recently heard arguments on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the replacement of death by hanging with a so-called “more humane” alternative, such as lethal injection. The petitioner urged the court to allow prisoners on death row the choice between hanging and lethal injection. Arguments before the apex court highlighted death by hanging, as prescribed in Section 393 (5) of the BNSS, 2023, describing it as “cruel, barbaric and lingering,” with the prisoner’s body left on the rope for nearly 40 minutes. In contrast, a lethal injection was claimed to be “quicker, more humane, and decent.” The Centre’s arg