The penalties of death

As Dhananjoy Chatterjee, the Kolkata security guard sentenced to death for raping and killing a schoolgirl in 1990, waits for the President...

As Dhananjoy Chatterjee, the Kolkata security guard sentenced to death for raping and killing a schoolgirl in 1990, waits for the President8217;s verdict on whether or not his hanging should go ahead, debate rages about capital punishment. 8216;8216;Pro death8217;8217; protestors are arguing with anti-hanging activists. The famous dissenting judgement of Justice Bhagwati in 1982 is being cited, where he held the death penalty to be a 8216;8216;positively cruel8217;8217; act. However other intellectuals, activists have called for death saying a message needs to go out to potential killers. The US, Japan and India are among the only large democracies to still have death penalty, reserved in 8216;8216;rarest of rare8217;8217; cases. Here are some of those who have been hanged for their crimes:

Nathuram Godse, for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The Hindu Mahasabha member and his friend Narayan Apte were hanged on Nov 15, 1949. Godse8217;s brother Gopal and two others were imprisoned to life for their part in the conspiracy

Sucha Singh, Baldev Singh and Nahar Singh 8216;Fauji8217; in the Pratap Singh Kairon murder case. Kairon was on his way from Chandigarh to Delhi when he was waylaid and shot. Sucha Singh escaped to Nepal but was extradited, tried and hanged in 1969

Billa and Ranga, for the heinous kidnapping and murder of the Chopra children. Sanjay and Geeta Chopra were 14 and 16 respectively and were hitchhiking when they were abducted by the two. Geeta was raped and Sanjay was murdered when trying to intervene. Subsequently, Geeta was also murdered. Billa and Ranga were hanged in 1978

Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh for Indira Gandhi8217;s assassination. The bodyguards of the former prime minister, who turned on her for ordering Operation Bluestar at Golden Temple, were hanged in 1989

Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha for the killing of General Vaidya in Pune in 1986. The 8216;8216;Brahmin general who stormed Sikhism8217;s holiest shrine8217;8217; had been on the terrorist hitlist. Jinda and Sukha were hanged in 1992

Shankar V. alias Auto Shankar for multiple murders. In late 1988, over a period of 6 months, he is believed to have killed nine teenage girls in Madras, cremated them and disposed of the remains in Bay of Bengal. During his trial, Auto Shankar blamed cinema, but a month before his execution, claimed he had kidnapped the girls for politicians, who raped them. Auto Shankar was hanged in 1995