NLU Delhi congratulates its Project 39A as SC reviews to revamp death penalty

While Supreme Court has opened a review into the death penalty process, National Law University (NLU), Delhi has congratulated its Project 39A for this significant change in death penalty jurisprudence in India. 

On Tuesday, the top court of India started proceedings on its own motion (suo motu) for revamping the death penalty process in India. In wake of various issues arising out of non-enforcement of the court’s landmark judgement on death sentence cases issued more than four decades ago in the Bachan Singh case, a bench headed by Justice Uday U Lalit sought the assistance of attorney general KK Venugopal in the case registered suo motu.

National Law University (NLU), Delhi tweet reads, "Congratulations @P39A_nlud for this significant change in death penalty jurisprudence in India. @NLUDofficial will continue to support ground breaking research in criminal law and access to justice."

A re-look of the entire death penalty process is needed, says SC

The bench said, "This requires a re-look at the entire manner in which we are sentencing. Sentencing, right from the level of the trial court, needs to be revamped...we want to institutionalise a new system within the existing legal framework to ensure utmost objectivity in the process of sentencing,” as reported by Hindustan Times.

“Persona of a judge and the circumstances around him or her may impact a judgment in a death sentence case...we want to make sure that a trial court can take as objective a view as possible... We are going to seek the assistance of the learned Attorney General since he is the competent officer to advance submissions on behalf of the central government,” added the bench.

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