Annual Statistic Reports 2019
The objective of the 2019 report is to present a detailed empirical account of the administration of the death penalty in India during the year. It seeks to document the number of death sentences imposed by trial courts, analyse how these cases are reviewed by High Courts and the Supreme Court, and identify patterns in offences, sentencing trends, and legal developments. The report also aims to situate these trends within broader judicial practices, public discourse, and legislative changes surrounding capital punishment.
Process
The report relies on a combination of data collection and verification techniques. Researchers tracked news reports in both English and Hindi to identify instances where death sentences were imposed by trial courts across the country. These findings were then verified against judgments available on High Court and district court websites. To strengthen the reliability of the data, the researchers also filed applications under the Right to Information Act with state authorities such as Home Departments and Governor Secretariats. However, the report acknowledges certain limitations, including delays in uploading judgments online and slow or incomplete responses to RTI requests. Despite these constraints, the authors maintain that the dataset presented is fairly comprehensive.
