Capital Punishment in South Asia (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh): a Legal Analysis
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Middlesex University Research Repository An open access repository of Middlesex University research http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk Alam, Muhammad Qadeer (2017) Capital punishment in South Asia (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh): a legal analysis. PhD thesis, Middlesex University. [Thesis] Final accepted version (with author’s formatting) This version is available at: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/21990/ Copyright: Middlesex University Research Repository makes the University’s research available electronically. Copyright and moral rights to this work are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners unless otherwise stated. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. Works, including theses and research projects, may not be reproduced in any format or medium, or extensive quotations taken from them, or their content changed in any way, without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). They may not be sold or exploited commercially in any format or medium without the prior written permission of the copyright holder(s). Full bibliographic details must be given when referring to, or quoting from full items including the author’s name, the title of the work, publication details where relevant (place, publisher, date), pag- ination, and for theses or dissertations the awarding institution, the degree type awarded, and the date of the award. If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Middlesex University via the following email address: [email protected] The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated. See also repository copyright: re-use policy: http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/policies.html#copy Capital Punishment in South Asia (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh): A Legal Analysis A thesis submitted to Middlesex University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Muhammad Qadeer Alam Middlesex University School of Law January 2017 1 Table of Contents Glossary ................................................................................................................ 4 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... 5 Chapter 1 .............................................................................................................. 6 Capital Punishment in South Asia: A Legal Analysis ................................................ 6 1.1 Abstract ................................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Background ............................................................................................................ 7 1.3 The Statement of Research Aims........................................................................... 12 1.4 Reasoned Description of Proposed Research Methods .......................................... 13 1.5 Original Contribution ............................................................................................ 14 1.6 Structure of the Thesis .......................................................................................... 15 Chapter 2 ............................................................................................................ 18 Historical Overview of Capital Punishment in South Asia ..................................... 18 2.1 Capital Punishment in Ancient India ...................................................................... 19 2.1.2 Buddhism and System of Punishments .................................................................. 21 2.1.3 Crimes and Punishments in Ancient India .............................................................. 24 2.1.4 Offences Punishable with Death ............................................................................ 28 2.1.5 Methods of Executions ........................................................................................... 28 2.1 Capital Punishment in Medieval India (1206-1806A.D) .......................................... 30 2.2.1. System of Punishment .......................................................................................... 33 2.2.2 Capital Offences ..................................................................................................... 33 2.2.3 Methods of Execution ............................................................................................ 34 2.3 Capital Punishment in British India (1760-1947) .................................................... 37 2.3.1 ‘Mofussal’ Courts and the Evolution of Anglo-Muslim Criminal Law ..................... 38 2.3.2 Codification of Indian Law ...................................................................................... 42 2.3.3 Punishments and Capital Offences ........................................................................ 45 3.3.4 Methods of Execution ............................................................................................ 47 3.3.5 Prisons System ....................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................ 53 The Impact of the International Legal Framework on Capital Punishment in South Asian Countries ................................................................................................... 53 3.1 Capital punishment and International Human Rights Law ...................................... 53 3.1.1 Capital Punishment as Violation to the Right to Life? ............................................ 53 3.1.2 The Prohibition of Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Punishment ............................ 58 3.1.3 Emergence of the Prohibition of Capital Punishment as an International Norm .. 66 3.2 The Impact of International Law on Domestic Jurisprudence to Abolish or Restrict Capital Punishment .................................................................................................... 69 3.2.1. International Human Rights Law and the Interpretation of the Phrase ‘Most Serious Crimes’ ................................................................................................................ 71 3.2.2 ‘No Arbitrary Deprivation of Life’ and ‘Minimum Guarantees of a Fair Trial’........ 79 2 3.2.3 The Law in Force at the Time of Commission of the Crime ................................... 82 3.2.4 Prohibition of Juveniles’ Executions under International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Convention on the Rights of the Child ............................................. 83 Chapter 4 ............................................................................................................ 92 Criminal Procedure in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and Due Process of Law .... 92 4.1 The Collection of Evidence and Use of Force .......................................................... 94 4.1.2. Causes of the Use of Torture ............................................................................... 105 4.1.3. Lack of Training and Modern Equipment ............................................................ 105 4.1.3. Abuse of Power to Arrest and Investigate .......................................................... 107 4.1.4. Insufficient Legal Protections against Torture during Police Investigation......... 110 4.2 The Right to Access to Legal Council .................................................................... 112 4.3 Issues Related to Witnesses ................................................................................ 120 Chapter 5 .......................................................................................................... 132 Application of Capital Punishment under Special Laws and Courts to Counter Terrorism in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh ...................................................... 132 5.1 International Legal Framework on Counter Terrorism and Special Courts ............. 132 5.1.1. Global Counter Terrorism Strategy ..................................................................... 133 5.1.2. Legitimacy of Special Courts/Tribunal ................................................................. 137 5.2. Working of Special Courts to Counter Terrorism in Pakistan, India and Pakistan and Violations of Due Process ......................................................................................... 140 5.2.1. The Special Courts in Pakistan and Right to Fair Trial ......................................... 140 5.2.2. Incompatibility of Military Court’s Proceedings with the Right to a Fair Trial .... 142 5.3 Anti-Terrorism Legislation in India and Due Process of Law .................................. 145 5.3.1. Violations of Fair Trial Standards under TADA and POTA ................................... 146 5.3.2. Application of the Death Penalty under the Repealed/ Lapsed Anti-Terror Laws ....................................................................................................................................... 149 5.3.3. Incompatibility of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967 (Amended in 2004 and 2008) with Fair Trial Standards ..................................................................................... 151 Chapter 6 .........................................................................................................