The Supreme Court has decided that any appeals in a case involving the death penalty will be listed before it within six months of the High...
The Supreme Court has decided that any appeals in a case involving the death penalty will be listed before it within six months of the High Court verdict, PTI reported. The top court will set up a three-judge bench within that deadline to hear such a case, irrespective of whether the appeal is ready or not.
The court issued the guidelines for the handling of death-row cases through an office order on February 12. The order was made public on Friday.
The guidelines came weeks after the Centre moved the top court for more stringent rules for death-row convicts, so that they are not able to misuse legal options to delay their hanging. Such an instance has been seen lately in the case of the four men convicted in the 2012 Delhi gangrape case, whose hanging has been delayed as they continue to file pleas in courts.
The order said that if a High Court has confirmed a convict’s death penalty, and the Supreme Court has admitted an appeal against the decision, the registry must immediately act to ensure that the original records are dispatched to the top court within 60 days of the filing of the appeal.
The order said that the Supreme Court registry may insist on...
