Abolition of death penalty in india
Vanshitha Darira
“Life is precious and death is irrevocable”
When a death penalty is awarded to the accused it is more than mere a punishment, we are ending or
killing a person in name of justice and law. Killing a person is immoral and it demonstrates the lack of
respect towards human life. And opposing death penalty doesn’t mean that someone is supporting the
criminal. When a death penalty is awarded it eliminates the scope of improvement which could have
changed the life of an individual, this is there as on why democracies around the world are supporting
reformative theory of punishment and abolishing deterrent theory of punishment.
“Even the vilest criminal remains a human being possessed of common human dignity” as aresult one
be supposed to esteem each one and all individual . We are no one to decide who gets to live and who
gets to die on the basis of rules and regulations which we made ourselves.
It is true that a criminal needs to be punished for the crimes he committed but we as a civilization
need in the direction of eliminate the offense not the illegal. This is the main difference between
human being and animals. We are given a precious gift – ‘we are a human’ and killing another human
being falsify the mere purpose of being a human being. We call ourselves a ‘civilized society’ but we
kill another human being in the name of justice. The principle of death penalty is based on deterrent
theory which in generic terms set an example by inflicting fear on the mind of others but there are
certain other ways by which a leading example can be set such as in reformative theory. The concept
of capital punishment is ancient and barbaric and should be abolished as it involves killing of a human
being which is immoral as life is precious and death is irrevocable.
Democracies should thrive more on reformative theory rather than deterrent theory as it provide a
chance of improvement which can change the life of an individual and can offer him a chance to get
back in the society and hence reformative theory has its advantage over deterrent theory. After
looking at all the statistics and report we can conclude that China still has a long way to cover in order
to abolish the concept of death penalty.
In conclusion, the debate surrounding the death penalty revolves around fundamental principles of
morality, justice, and the value we place on human life. The assertion that "life is precious and death is
irrevocable" resonates deeply with the core of this argument. When a society imposes the death
penalty, it takes a life in the name of justice, a practice that raises serious ethical questions.
While acknowledging the need for accountability and punishment for heinous crimes, modern
democracies have increasingly embraced the reformative theory of punishment over the deterrent
theory. The belief that even the vilest criminal remains a human being with inherent dignity
underscores the importance of affording individuals the opportunity for redemption and rehabilitation.
Capital punishment, with its ancient and arguably barbaric roots, fails to align with the values of a
compassionate and civilized society.
Democracies worldwide are transitioning towards more humane and constructive approaches to
criminal justice, focusing on reform and rehabilitation to address the root causes of crime. While there
is room for debate and reform within the criminal justice system, it is clear that the death penalty's
inherent immorality and irreversible nature should prompt us to rethink its place in a truly civilized
society.
In this context, India, with its ongoing use of the death penalty, faces a significant challenge in
aligning its practices with the evolving global consensus on justice and human rights. The path
towards abolishing the death penalty is long, but it is one that promotes the sanctity of life and the
possibility of redemption, values that should define our collective humanity.
