SC mulls panel to examine less painful method of execution

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it is open to set up a panel of experts to examine if there is a less painful alternative method to hanging by the neck to execute the death penalty.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, while asking the Centre to initiate a discussion and collect relevant information, said one of the aspects could be to look at the matter from the point of view of science and technology.

The Chief Justice queried if there was a method which is consistent with human dignity and socially acceptable, based on today's knowledge of technology and science.

“Do we have any data either in India or overseas relating to the circumstances as they transpired in the execution of sentence of death with alternate methods?” he asked. The Bench, also comprising Justice P S Narasimha, said: “Alternatively, do we constitute a committee, thinking it aloud, not passing an order now. Committee to reflect on it. We can have two national law universities to be on the committee, experts dealing in execution of the sentence of death... We can also have people drawn from medical sciences, maybe one or two professors or doctors from AIIMS. We can have other distinguished people from the country."