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Politics
India Rejects UN Moratorium Linking Judicial Death Penalty to Extrajudicial Killings
✍️ Hindustan Times
🗓 15 Nov 2026, 07:41 AM
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India voted against a UN resolution seeking a global moratorium on the death penalty, arguing it conflates lawful judicial executions with unlawful killings.
New Delhi – In a decisive vote at the United Nations, India opposed a resolution that would impose a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty. The Indian delegation argued that the draft unfairly equated state‑sanctioned, court‑ordered executions with extrajudicial killings, thereby blurring a clear legal distinction.
During the debate, the Indian representative emphasized that capital punishment, when prescribed by law and carried out after a fair trial, is a sovereign judicial measure, not an unlawful act. The delegation warned that linking the two could undermine the legitimacy of criminal justice systems that retain the death penalty.
The resolution, backed by several human‑rights groups, sought to urge all member states to halt executions pending a review of the practice. India's vote reflected its long‑standing position of defending the right of nations to determine their own penal policies within the bounds of international law.
During the debate, the Indian representative emphasized that capital punishment, when prescribed by law and carried out after a fair trial, is a sovereign judicial measure, not an unlawful act. The delegation warned that linking the two could undermine the legitimacy of criminal justice systems that retain the death penalty.
The resolution, backed by several human‑rights groups, sought to urge all member states to halt executions pending a review of the practice. India's vote reflected its long‑standing position of defending the right of nations to determine their own penal policies within the bounds of international law.