New Delhi, April 24:  The central government has filed an affidavit in Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday on a plea against hanging. Centre in their affidavit has replied that 'death by hanging' is the most viable method than intravenous 'lethal injection' or 'shooting' suggested. Earlier, the bench comprising Chief Justice of India Dipak Mishra and Justice A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud had given a six weeks’ time to reply on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL). It also referred to the 187th Report of the Law Commission advocating removal of the present mode of execution from the statute.

According to news reports, the apex court sought the centre's response on the plea filed by lawyer and petitioner Rishi Malhotra who referred to Article 21 (Right to Life) of the Constitution. Malhotra said, “Article 21 gives the right to the convict prisoner to have a dignified mode of execution, so that death becomes less painful. The plea also mentioned in several countries hanging had been abolished and substituted by electrocution, shooting or lethal injection as methods of execution.”

The plea emphasised on 'dying with dignity is part of right to life' and the present practice of executing a death row convict by hanging involves prolonged pain and suffering. Therefore, the present procedure can be replaced with intravenous lethal injection, shooting, electrocution or gas chamber in which death is just a matter of minutes.

The PIL also sought quashing of section 354(5) of the Criminal Procedure Code, which states that when a person to be hanged, till he is dead.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2018 02:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).