Particle.news
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
1h ago

Supreme Court Rejects Centre’s Bid to Modify Shatrughan Chauhan Death-Row Safeguards

The bench left intact the 2014 protections for condemned prisoners, signaling that any acceleration of processes should come from implementation measures such as dedicated mercy‑petition cells.

Image
The application said convicts in heinous crimes such as terrorism, rape and murder “take the judicial process for a ride” under the garb of Article 21 (right to life). It emphasised that public interest and the deterrent effect of capital punishment must not be undermined. (ANI)
Image

Overview

  • The three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N. V. Anjaria dismissed the Centre’s application, stating it found no merit in the plea.
  • The government had sought seven-day limits for filing mercy petitions and for executions after mercy rejection, tighter curative-petition timelines, and executions regardless of co-convicts’ pending proceedings.
  • The Court reaffirmed the finality of its 2014 Shatrughan Chauhan ruling, which includes a 14-day gap after mercy rejection and recognizes inordinate mercy-petition delay as grounds for commutation.
  • The application, filed in 2020 during delays in carrying out the Nirbhaya case death warrants, argued the existing framework was accused-centric and ignored victims’ trauma.
  • The Court noted earlier administrative directions from 2024 in State of Maharashtra v. Kokade that require States and UTs to set up dedicated cells to expedite mercy-petition processing.