Death Penalty – The practice and The Peril

Why in News?

Recently, The Supreme Court heard the Union government’s submission that it is still examining whether a more humane and less painful method of execution could replace hanging.

What is death penalty?

• Death penalty – The death penalty, or capital punishment, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as a punishment for a crime.
• Sanctioning authority – A death sentence is handed down by a court of law for a serious crime, and the execution is the carrying out of that sentence.
• The practice is also known as judicial homicide.
• Death row – It is the state of an imprisoned person who has been sentenced to death and is awaiting execution.

What is the status of death penalty in India?

• Recent development – For the 3^rd year in a row, the Supreme Court has not confirmed any death sentences.
• It acquitted 9 death row prisoners, commuting 5 to life imprisonment, and remanding 2 cases to the trial courts for fresh consideration.
• Latest proposals – The Supreme Court is to listening to a proposal to ,give convicts on death row an option of choosing lethal injection as an alternative to death by hanging as a mode of execution.
• The top court expressed its displeasure with the government's unwillingness to evolve on the issue, after the Centre indicated that offering such an option might not be feasible.
• Governments stand on hanging – The Centre stands by hanging, calling it the “safest and quickest” option, but has hinted it is open to considering other methods.
• Death row in India – It is 564 and the highest in nearly two decades.
• Trial courts have sentenced more than 100 people to death annually in recent years, often without proper consideration of mitigating circumstances.
• Supreme courts position – The top court has reminded judges not to be swayed by the brutality of crimes or public outrage, reminding them that penology now centres on the preservation of human life.
• Significantly, some recent judgements show a preference for alternatives to execution.
  • For example, Life imprisonment without remission—brought in after the Nirbhaya case for aggravated rape—has increasingly become the middle path for serious crimes that could otherwise attract the death penalty.
• Manoj vs State of Madhya Pradesh (2022) – The top Court state that such factors must be evaluated to prevent retributive sentencing, compliance remains poor.  
• Supporting arguments – Death penalty supporters often view it as society’s way of answering extreme acts of cruelty by satisfying our collective sense of justice and warning against recurrence.
• The grounded reality – But experience shows it does not clearly prevent violent crime, nor does it ensure justice.
• The risk of wrongful execution, the inability to rehabilitate, and the moral contradiction of taking life in the name of law continue to shadow its practice.

How many people are executed every year?

• World data – Amnesty International recorded 1,153 executions in 2023, an increase of 31% from the 883 known executions in 2022.

• It was the highest figure recorded by Amnesty International since the exceptionally high number of 1,634 in 2015.

• Missing records – The report noted that known totals did not include the thousands of people believed to have been executed in China, which remained the world's leading executioner in 2023.

• There was a 20% increase in the number of death sentences handed out globally in 2023, taking the total to 2,428.

Which countries still use the death penalty?

• Major countries – About 55 nations still retain and implement the death penalty.
• The United States, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt.
• Additionally, capital punishment is also carried out in China, India, and most Islamic states.
• Amnesty International also noted that North Korea was "likely to be using the death penalty at a sustained rate," but could not independently verify the claim.
• Countries abolished death penalties – While over 70% of the world has abolished capital punishment in law or practice.
• Amnesty's data show the death penalty is not used at all in 112 countries.
  • The practice was fully abolished by four countries in 2024- Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic.
  • Two other nations, Equatorial Guinea and Zambia, have said they would only be used for the most serious crimes.
  • In April 2023, the Malaysian parliament also voted to remove the mandatory death penalty for 11 serious crimes, including murder and terrorism.
  • In July 2023, Ghana's parliament voted to abolish the death penalty altogether.

How do countries carry out the death penalty?

• Existing methods – Hanging, shooting, electrocution, lethal injection and beheading remain the most common methods of execution.
• The lethal injection – It generally consists of three chemicals:
  • Sodium pentotal (an anaesthetic),
  • Pancuronium bromide (used to paralyse the prisoner) and
  • Potassium chloride (used to stop the heart) – and is widely used by countries including China, Vietnam and the US.
• Electrocution – The prisoner is blindfolded and a jolt of between 500 and 2000 volts, which lasts for about 30 seconds, is repeatedly administered until the prisoner is declared dead.
• The US also commonly uses electrocution to carry out death sentences
• Nitrogen hypoxia – Some US states also use nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment.
• It induces death by nitrogen hypoxia, which works by depriving the body of oxygen when an inmate is forced to breathe only nitrogen.
• Hanging – Most Asian and African nations, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nigeria, Palestine authorities, South Sudan and Sudan, use hanging as a legal method of capital punishment.
• The 'long drop' is the most commonly used hanging method.
• Some countries, such as Iran, use cranes to publicly hang the culprits.
• Shooting – Countries including China, Indonesia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Taiwan and Yemen use shooting squads to execute prisoners.
• Beheading – Beheadings are carried out in public using a sword, usually in a town square or close to a prison.
• The condemned, who is blindfolded, handcuffed and often given a sedative, typically wears white - as does the executioner.
• As of 2022, only Saudi Arabia is known to use beheading as a form of execution.

What lies ahead?

• The larger constitutional issue of ensuring fairness and consistency in awarding death sentences—is before a Constitution Bench in a pending suo motu case.
• The overdue outcome will bring long-needed clarity to a system often marked by arbitrariness and moral unease.
• As over 113 countries move towards abolition, India’s continued reliance on capital punishment appears increasingly out of step with moral progress.
• To focus only on the mechanics of execution, rather than on whether the state should kill at all, is to lose sight of justice’s higher purpose to balance accountability with humanity.

References

1. The Hindu| New Life for Life prisoners
2. The Indian Express| Rethink Death Penalty

HECI Bill 2025

Why in News?

In the winter session of Parliament, beginning December 1, 2025, the Union Government plans to introduce the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, 2025.

What is HEIC bill, 2025?

• HEIC bill – Higher Education Commission of India bill, is a flagship reform to create a single overarching higher education regulator, replacing the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the sectoral councils, excluding medical and legal education.
• Objective – The HECI is expected to be a robust framework, designed to ensure quality, accountability, and institutional autonomy in higher education and translate the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s vision into clear norms on curriculum reforms, better academic delivery, and promote research culture.

How the 2018 draft bill received mixed public reaction?

• The 2018 draft HECI Bill – Efforts to create a unified regulator in higher education began with the 2018 draft Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) bill, which was placed in the public domain for stakeholder feedback.
• Suggestions – It is reported to have garnered over 7,500 suggestions from parliamentarians, State governments, academics, students, teacher unions, and industry associations.
• While the draft bill was applauded for recognising the need to separate regulation from funding, several viewpoints emerged from various stakeholders.
• Concerns raised – Several stakeholders, particularly from the States, raised concerns over a potentially “Central government-heavy composition” of HECI.
  • They argued that the limited representation from the States could undermine the concurrent status of education and fail to account for regional diversity.
  • They said the bill also adversely affect the public institutions in rural areas, which often operate with limited infrastructure and faculty.
• Teacher unions and student groups – They pointed out the absence of guaranteed representation for faculty and students on the HECI and its advisory bodies.
• It was also felt that the draft bill continued a ‘command‑and‑control’ regulatory philosophy, replacing the UGC could disproportionately affect smaller and rural institutions.
• The draft bill also did not adequately articulate how the existing specialist regulators, such as AICTE and NCTE, would be integrated into a coherent architecture.
• The academic associations and civil society organisations were reported to have argued that the draft did not sufficiently safeguard institutional autonomy and collegial governance.
• In response to this feedback from the public consultations, the 2018 draft was not tabled in the Parliament, and the government signalled that the proposed bill would be re‑worked in light of NEP 2020.

How the NEP 2020 envisaged HECI architecture?

• NEP 2020 – It emphasises transparency, public self‑disclosure by institutions, minimisation of human interface through technology, and the avoidance of conflicts of interest between these four functions.
• It also underscores institutional autonomy, graded on accreditation outcomes, and encourages multi‑disciplinary universities with strong internal quality assurance systems.
• 4 verticals – The HECI, proposed by NEP 2020, envisages four independent verticals:
  • National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC),
  • National Accreditation Council (NAC),
  • General Education Council (GEC)
  • Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) to address the functions of compliance, quality assurance, setting up academic standards and funding, respectively.

• The proposed HECI bill, therefore, has to move beyond the narrow academic‑standards focus of the 2018 draft and codify the four‑pillar architecture.
• It has adequate checks and balances, including a robust role for the States and the academic peers, in the governance processes.

• Global developments since 2018 – The COVID‑19 pandemic triggered the largest disruption in the history of education, forcing institutions to shift to online and blended modes of delivery rapidly.
• The online learning delivery model created opportunities for working professionals to learn without leaving their current jobs.
• Due to the unprecedented acceleration in the deployment of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) in industry, skills emerged as a higher priority over knowledge for employment, leading to a dramatic rise in micro‑credential skill development courses and stackable learning pathways, to supplement classroom learning.
• Dr. Radhakrishnan Committee report – It proposed transformative reforms to strengthen assessment, accreditation and ranking of higher education institutions, to expand coverage of accreditation, and to align existing bodies such as NAAC, NBA and NIRF, with the proposed NAC, under HECI.
• It also recommended a One Nation One Data (ONOD) IT architecture to capture data needed from the institutions for governance, ratings and ranking and maintain the integrity of the same to enable transparent, technology-empowered evaluation and ranking.

What are the expectations of different stakeholders?

• State government – The State governments expect commensurate representation within HECI’s governance structures, clear articulation of the division of regulatory responsibilities, and protection of their constitutional roles in higher education.
• Higher educational institution – The Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) hope for predictable, time‑bound approvals; simplified, fully online compliance processes; rationalised inspection and reporting burdens; and a credible pathway to graded autonomy, based on transparent accreditation criteria.
• Smaller institutions – The smaller institutions especially in the rural areas, are likely to press for capacity‑building support rather than punitive enforcement.
• Industries – The industry expects a push for regulatory flexibility to recognise new‑age programmes, micro‑credentials for skilling, and international joint degrees in emerging areas, while expecting HECI to protect minimum standards. If the proposed bill is to enjoy broad legitimacy, it must be seen to credibly address the expectations of each of these constituencies.

What are the challenges in implementing the HECI bill?

• Coordination issues – With over 70% of the universities falling under the States’ acts and 94% of the students enrolled in State or private universities, leaving about 6% students in Centrally funded universities, there is a need for better coordination between the Central government and the States and their integration into the governance design, for achieving tangible results.
• Structural and systemic challenges – Most of the institutions, particularly the State-funded ones in urban and rural areas, lack digital infrastructure, qualified faculty, and quality assurance systems and need massive capacity-building to move to self‑disclosure‑based, technology-enabled regulation.
• Low accreditation coverage – NEP mandates universal accreditation by 2035, but current accreditation coverage remains below 40% and the delayed binary accreditation needs to be sped up by a drastic expansion of assessment capacity.
• The HECI bill may incorporate reforms to shorten faculty recruitment timelines and institute a reward system based on performance, particularly for research contributions, to attract and retain high-calibre academics.
• The HEGC funding vertical must balance performance-based funding with baseline equity funding. India needs significant investments to meet the GER target of 50% by 2035. The proposed HECI Bill may contain statutory provisions to ensure that the funding mechanism is transparent, merit-based, and performance-linked, ensuring that the regulatory system functions independently and credibly.

What lies ahead?

• The forthcoming HECI bill of 2025 presents a historic opportunity to transform India’s fragmented higher education regulatory system into a unified, modern, and outcome-based architecture, to facilitate the achievement of NEP targets for 2035.
• However, success will depend not only on legislative design but on the effectiveness of implementation, Centre‑States collaboration, robust data systems, sustained funding, and buy-in from the diverse stakeholders.
• A thoughtfully architected HECI will enable India to build a globally competitive higher education ecosystem, which can accrue significant demographic dividends to the country.

Reference

The Hindu| HEIC bill

Durand Line

Why in news?

Conflict has flared once again, the Taliban claimed that Pakistan carried out air strikes inside its territory, killing 10 people near the Durand Line.

• Durand Line – It is the international land border that stretches for about 2,600 km between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• It stretches from the border with Iran in the west to China’s border in the east, spanning through the Karakoram range to the Registan desert.

• Established in – 1893, an agreement between the British (Sir Henry Mortimer Durand) and Abdur Rahman Khan, the then-emir of Afghanistan.
• Anglo-Afghan Wars (1839 - 1919)

Post-Partition Dispute (After 1947) –

• Pakistan’s stance – Considers the Durand Line the official international border.
• Afghanistan’s stance – Rejects it, fueling disputes and cross-border tensions.
• Pashtun identity – The line splits Pashtun tribes, demanding a sovereign state of Pashtunistan.
• Security – Conflicts, fencing projects, and ceasefire negotiations keep the frontier volatile.

McMahon Line - De facto border between China and India in the Eastern Sector & Radcliffe line - Border line divides India and Pakistan.

References

1. The Hindu | Durand Line
2. Britannica | Durand Line

Indian swiftlet

Why in news?

Recently, the Indian swiftlet made a surprise visit to the Adyar estuary in Chennai.

• Scientific name – Aerodramus unicolor.
• Habitat – Prefers rocky hills, mountainsides, caves and offshore islands that provide suitable nesting caves and disperses to plains during monsoons.
• Distribution – Found in the hills and coastal areas of Sri Lanka and southwest India (primarily in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu).
• Appearance –
  • Size & Shape – It is small with 12cm long, compact swift with a shallow tail fork (unlike the Asian Palm-Swift’s deep fork).
  • Coloration – Darker brown upperparts, paler brown underparts, and a slightly paler rump.

• Diet – Insectivorous (flees, wasps, bees, locust, etc) catching flying insects mid-air in swift flocks.
• Breeding – The breeding season occurs mainly from March to June in India.
• Nesting – Nests are bracket-shaped and attached to vertical cave surfaces. They are made by the male bird using grass, moss, and feathers bound together with thick, whitish saliva.
• Echolocation – They uses echolocation to navigate in dark caves during breeding and roosting.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN – Least Concern
• Threats – Habitat destruction, nest harvesting for bird’s nest soup, etc.

References

1. The Hindu | Indian swiftlet makes a surprise visit
2. Birdlife | Indian swiftlet
3. eBird | Indian swiftlet

Ellora Caves

Why in News?

Recently, the historian William Dalrymple has urged the Maharashtra government to highlight the lesser-known treasures of the Ellora Caves, beyond the famous Kailasa Temple.

• Location – Charanandri Hills, near Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
• It is among India’s 1^st UNESCO World Heritage sites.
• Timeline – Excavated between 600–1000 AD, showcasing continuous artistic and religious activity.
• Belief – Buddhism, Hinduism (Brahmanism), and Jainism — illustrating religious tolerance in ancient India.
• Extent – 34 monasteries and temples carved into a basalt cliff, stretching over more than 2 km (17 Brahmanical, 12 Buddhist and 5 Jain).
  • Buddhist caves (1–12) – Excavated from 5^th–8^th centuries - Both Mahayana and Hinayana.
  • Hindu (Brahmanism) caves (13–29) - 7^th–10^th centuries.
  • Jain caves (30–34) - 9^th–12^th centuries, with delicate carvings and paintings dedicated to the Digambara sect.
• Managed by – Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• Protected under – Multiple acts, including the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958).
• Features –
  • Rock-cut architecture – The structures were created by carving into the rock face, rather than stacking stones.
  • Monolithic Architecture – Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) is the world's largest monolithic structure, carved top-down from a single rock and resembling Mount Kailash.
  • Multi-story Caves – Features double and triple-story caves, showcasing a unique design.
  • Patronage – Patrons included the Rashtrakutas and Chalukyas, with guilds from states like Vidarbha, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu also contributing.
  • Art and Sculpture – Includes elaborate sculptures and fresco murals, such as the Kailashnath Temple, depicting mythological scenes.
• Some important caves -

Quick Fact

References

1. The Hindu | Unknown treasures at Ellora Caves
2. UNESCO | Ellora Caves

Sambhar Lake

Why in news?

A blush of pink has swept across Rajasthan’s Sambhar Salt Lake, where thousands of migratory flamingos have gathered in a spectacular seasonal display.

• Location – It is situated about 80 km southwest of Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Features

• Salt Lake – It is India’s largest inland salt water lake, represents the depression of the Aravalli Range.
• Ramsar Site – It is a wetland of ‘international importance’ under the Ramsar Convention, declared in 1990.
• Size – The area occupied by this lake differs from season to season, so roughly it is between 190 and 230 sq km.
  • During peak summers (dry time), the depth measures as low as 60 cm but during the monsoons, it goes up to 3 m.
• History – It found its mention in the Mahabharata as the land of demon king Vrishparva.
  • The town of sambhar was founded by Raja Vasudev of the Chauhan dynasty in 551 AD, later ruled by Sindhias, Marathas, Mughals, and Rajputs; leased to the British in 1870.
• Drainage – It is fed by the rivers like Luni, Jawai Samaod, Khari, Mantha, Khandela, etc.
• Vegetation – The vegetation present in the catchment area is mostly xerophytic type, a plant adapted for growth under dry conditions.
• Fauna – Famous for migratory birds, especially flamingos, pelicans and the waterfowls are commonly sighted at the Sambhar Lake.
  • Other species: coots, stilts, sandpipers, and redshanks.
  • Wildlife around the lake includes blue bulls (nilgai) and foxes.
• Temples & Sacred Sites –
  • Shakambhari Mata Temple – Legend says the goddess turned a plain of precious metals into salt to prevent feuds.
  • Devayani Kund – Site of Devayani’s marriage to King Yayati, known as “Little Pushkar.”
  • Bhairana Dadu Dwara Temples (Naraina) – Seat of Dadu Dayal Maharaj, mystic saint of Nirguna Bhakti tradition.

References

1. Indian Express | Sambhar Lake turns pink
2. Rajasthan Tourism | Sambhar Lake

WorldSkills Asia Competition, 2025

Why in news?

India marked a major milestone on the global skills stage as the country concluded its debut participation at the WorldSkills Asia Competition (WSAC) 2025.

• Location – The 3^rd edition of the WorldSkills Asia Competition was held in Taipei, Taiwan.
• This event was offering a platform to showcase excellence, innovation, and future-ready capabilities and to promote local education, economy, tourism, and international exchanges.

WorldSkills Asia – It is an international non-profit organization that unites Asian countries to promote technical skills and vocational education.

• Participation – It attracts more than 500 participants from 29 members and guest countries across Asia.
• Skill Categories – 44 technical and vocational skills

India’s achievements in 2025

• Rank – 8^th among 29 participating nations in it’s first-ever participation.
• Competitors – 23 young talents across 21 skill categories, supported by 21 experts.
• Medals Won – (1 Silver, 2 Bronze, and 3 Medallions for Excellence)
  • Silver – Painting & Decorating: Muskan
  • Bronze – Industrial Design Technology: Komal Panda
  • Bronze – Robot System Integration: Shivam Singh & Dinesh R
  • Medallion for Excellence –
    • Software Application Development for Business: Mohamed Mafaz P R
    • Web Technologies: Aditya Nandan
    • Electrical Installations: Dhanush M G
• Highlights – Women competitors were standout performers, excelling in non-traditional skills and earning the Best in Country medal.
• Preparation – The competitors were selected through IndiaSkills National Competition 2024 and trained rigorously with industry, academia, and global experts.
• Significance – India’s strong debut signals its ambition to become a global hub for skilled talent and it reflects the effectiveness of nationwide skilling initiatives and the rising aspirations of young professionals.

References

1. PIB | WorldSkills Asia Competition 2025
2. WorldSkills Asia | WorldSkills Asia