Mains Snippet
Context
- The Annual Death Penalty Statistics Report was released by NALSAR.
- It examines appellate judicial trends in confirmation, acquittal, and commutation of death sentences.
- Data reflects evolving judicial attitudes toward capital punishment and procedural fairness.
Death Row Population Trends
- As of December 31, 2025, 574 prisoners were on death row nationwide.
- This includes 550 men and 24 women awaiting capital punishment.
- Death row population increased by 43.5% since 2016.
- About 45% prisoners were sentenced for murder alone.
- Nearly 37% cases involved murder linked with sexual offences.
Sentencing Patterns at Trial Courts
- Sessions Courts imposed 1,310 death sentences across 822 cases in ten years.
- Trial courts remain primary sentencing authorities in capital punishment cases.
- However, appellate scrutiny significantly alters final sentencing outcomes.
High Court Appellate Review Trends
- High Courts reviewed 842 death sentences for confirmation.
- Only 70 sentences (8.31%) were ultimately upheld.
- Confirmation rates declined sharply, reflecting growing judicial caution.
- High Court confirmations dropped by over 60% since 2019.
- Of 1,085 cases decided, 34.65% resulted in acquittals.
- State-Wise Acquittal Patterns
- Patna High Court recorded the highest acquittal rate at 78.31%.
- Karnataka High Court reported acquittals in 50.46% cases.
- Jharkhand High Court saw acquittals in 46.97% cases.
Supreme Court Trends
- Only 37 death penalty cases reached the Supreme Court in ten years.
- The Court confirmed none of these death sentences.
- No death sentence has been confirmed in the last three years.
- In 2025, the Court acquitted 10 death row prisoners.
- This was the highest annual acquittal figure since 2016.