New Delhi:
The Supreme Court has taken a dim view of the government’s opposition to a suggestion that convicts on death row be given an option of lethal injection as a mode of execution.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation seeking replacement of the traditional death-by-hanging with lethal injection, or at least to give condemned individuals the ability to choose.
“At least give an option to the condemned prisoner… whether they want hanging or lethal injection… lethal injection is quick, humane, and decent, as opposed to hanging, which is cruel, barbaric, and lingering,” advocate Rishi Malhotra, appearing for the petitioner, said.
It was further pointed out that such an option is given in the military.
The government’s counter-affidavit, however, said an option is ‘not feasible’.
Then the bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta made an oral observation, that the government is ‘not ready to evolve with changes
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