Penal Populism and the Death Penalty in India: Politics, Punishment, and Marginalisation

Sanjay Vashishtha, Executive Director of Project 39A at National Law University Delhi, will speak on penal populism and its relationship to the death penalty. The presentation will explore how public opinion, political incentives, and institutional dynamics influence the retention and application of capital punishment across different jurisdictions.

Drawing on debates in criminal law, criminology, and theories of punishment, the discussion will examine questions of democratic legitimacy, state power, and the place of retributive justice in contemporary criminal justice systems. Particular attention will be paid to the disproportionate impact of the death penalty on economically and socially marginalised communities, as well as the ways in which penal policy can be shaped by populist pressures. The presentation will be followed by responses from invited discussants.