There are as many as 325 death row convicts lodged in different jails across the country till 2016, the government said today.
Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, in a written reply to Lok Sabha, said the highest (68) number of death row convicts are lodged in Uttar Pradesh till December 2016.
There are 41 convicts with capital punishment in Maharashtra, 38 in Madhya Pradesh, 30 in Bihar, 22 in Karnataka, 16 in Kerala, 15 in Chhattisgarh besides others, he said in a reply to a written question.
India carried out no executions in 2016: Amnesty
India did not execute a single person last year despite the country imposing a total of 136 death sentences, which was significantly higher than the previous years, according to a report released today by Amnesty International.
"India recorded a total of 136 death sentences imposed in 2016, significantly higher than the previous years, whereas a significant decrease in the implementation of death sentences was recorded in Pakistan, by 73 per cent,” Amnesty said its annual report on 'Death Sentences and Executions'.
India carried out no executions last year, but was among the few countries to hand out capital punishment for drug-related crimes and also amended its laws to introduce the death penalty for hijacking when it results into death, the Amnesty report said.
(With PTI inputs)
