Death Penalty News

A local court in Bihar’s Gopalganj district on Friday awarded death penalty to 9 people and life sentence to 4 women for their role in the 2016 hooch case in which 19 people were killed and 2 lost their vision.  The court also slapped a fine of ?10 lakh on each of the accused. The death penalty to 9 persons in the hooch tragedy in Gopalganj is the first such instance when capital punishment has been given to so many accused in any hooch tragedy. The 13 surviving accused in the August 2016 case were convicted by additional district judge Luv Kush Kumar.  The accused were held guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Excise Act of 2016. “They are accused of manufacturing, smuggling and selling liquor,” said public prosecutor Deo Vansh Giri. 19 people died in the Khajurbani locality of the district on August 16, 2016 after consuming spurious liquor, four months after the Nitish Kumar g...

Tightening its noose against those selling spurious liquor, the government has decided to add a provision death penalty in law for the culprits by amending the Punjab Excise Act, 1914. The Cabinet gave its approval to add Section 61 A and amendment of Section 61 and Section 63 and to introduce the Bill in this regard in the ongoing Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha. Section 61-A, which has been inserted in Punjab Excise Act, 1914 as its the Sub Section (1), stipulates that whoever mixes or permits to be mixed with any liquor sold or manufactured or possessed by him any noxious drug or any foreign ingredient likely to cause disability or grievous hurt or death to human beings, shall be punishable by death. In case of death, such guilty shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life and shall also be liable to fine which may extend to twenty lakh rupees. In case of disability or grievous hurt, the guilty would be punished with imprisonment for at least six years extendable up to ...