'We Oppose the Death Penalty'

We, concerned citizens and organisations from different walks of life and with different world views, are united in opposing the death penalty and ­demanding its repeal in India.

Though meant only for the rarest of rare crimes, the death penalty is widely being applied to an ever-increasing array of offences, so much so that presently there are more than 400 persons sentenced to death in India, some of whom are in imminent danger of execution as their mercy petitions have been rejected by the president. Mercy petitions are being rejected at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, executions and rejections of mercy petitions are being done secretly, without any scrutiny and in violation of due process.