New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed concern over the Union Government's resistance to a proposal suggesting the option of a lethal injection as an alternative to the traditional method of death by hanging for condemned prisoners. The Court lamented that the government appeared unwilling to adapt to evolving norms and standards over time.

According to a report by LiveLaw, the remarks came during a hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the abolition of death by hanging, a method deemed by the petitioners to cause "prolonged pain and suffering." The PIL suggests replacing hanging with more humane execution methods such as lethal injection, shooting, electrocution, or the gas chamber, where death would occur within minutes.

A suggestion was put forward before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, proposing that death row prisoners be given the option to choose between hanging and lethal injection. However, the Union Government’s counter affidavit argued that offering such an option may not be "feasible." In response, Justice Mehta remarked, "The problem is, the government is not ready to evolve... it's a very old procedure, things have changed over a period of time."

Senior Advocate Sonia Mathur, representing the Union, clarified that the matter involved a policy decision and that the government was still deliberating on the issue. The hearing was adjourned until November 11.

The PIL highlights the need for reform in the death penalty system, emphasising that death by hanging is inhumane and leads to unnecessary suffering. It advocates for the use of intravenous lethal injection as a more humane alternative, pointing to its widespread adoption in other countries. Advocate Rishi Malhotra, representing the petitioner, noted that 49 out of 50 US states have adopted lethal injection, calling it "quick, humane, and decent," in stark contrast to hanging, which he described as "cruel, barbaric, and lingering," often taking up to 40 minutes for death to occur.

The issue of execution methods was first raised by the Court in March 2023, when it suggested forming an expert committee to examine the pain caused by death by hanging and explore alternative execution methods. In May, Attorney General R. Venkataramani informed the Court that he had recommended the formation of such a committee, and the government was in the process of finalising its members.