Project 39A is inspired by Article 39-A of the Indian Constitution, a provision that furthers the intertwined values of equal justice and equal opportunity by removing economic and social barriers. These are constitutional values of immense importance, given the manner in which multiple disparities intersect to exclude vast sections of our society from effectively accessing justice.
Executed 16 yrs ago in Kolkata on 14 Aug 2004, was Dhananjoy Chatterjee innocent? Investigations between 2005-12 by 2 profs at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata suggest he was framed. Over the next week, we present some of their findings.
They found a chain at the crime scene that belonged to the perpetrator. Did it belong to Dhananjoy? No, it did not. It belonged to Gouranga Raul, the domestic help next door. Gouranga vanished immediately.
They said Dhananjoy stole a Ricoh watch from the house. A Ricoh watch was recovered from Dhananjoy's village home 3 months later. Was it the same Ricoh watch? There was no real evidence to suggest that it was.
Prosecution-"Despite a formal transfer order, why was Dhananjoy in Anand Apts on 5.3.90?” They had formal transfer orders, but no appointment letter for him! And no transfer orders for the guard meant to replace him!
The lift operator's statement was at the heart of the story that the police constructed to implicate Dhananjoy. However, in court, the lift operator said the police had cooked up his statement.
Acc to the prosecution: Dhananjoy brutally raped and murdered Hetal Parekh in 30 mins. A button from his shirt and a chain were found at the scene. 3 people saw him immediately after. Did they see signs of a scuffle or blood stains?
Death Penalty Sentencing in Trial Courts: Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (2000-2015) is a report based on analysis of all (215) trial court judgments from Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra imposing death sentences between 2000 and 2015. The report exposes the hollowness of sentencing hearings that are conducted. It also demonstrates the normative and procedural gaps in death penalty sentencing framework that have been the legacy of the Bachan Singh judgment and the numerous inconsistencies in Supreme Court judgments in the 40 years thereafter.
To know more, click here.
Our publication covers movements in the death row population in India as well as political and legal developments in the administration of the death penalty and the criminal justice system. The statistics are compiled through a combination of processes such as data mining of court websites, media monitoring and Right to Information applications.
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PRISONERS CURRENTLY UNDER THE SENTENCE OF DEATH
