Oxford University Press launched “Demons & Demigods- Death Penalty in India”, by Aparna Jha

New Delhi, October 27, 2018: Oxford University Press, the world’s largest university press, launched “Demons & Demigods- Death Penalty in India”, a book written by Aparna Jha at an event today.Distinguished panelists present at the event were Justice Justice (Retd.) Gyan Sudha Mishra, Judge, Supreme Court of India, Mr. Salman Khurshid, Former External Affairs and Law Minister of India, Dr. Anup Surendranath, Director, Centre on the Death Penalty.The capital punishment is a subject of great debate not only in India, but also across the world. While some countries have abolished this practice terming it inhuman and degrading, others have retained it as a means of deterrence. In India, the death penalty continues to be in practice. The author in this book argues that the death penalty be abolished in India. She strengthens her argument with the help of a personal narrative recounting her experience as a lawyer in arguing a case in the Supreme Court, in which four young men had been sentenced to death by the trial court. The sentence of death delivered by the trial court was upheld by the Bombay High Court. The author, however, along with her senior successfully defended the accused in the Supreme Court, and got their death penalty converted to life imprisonment.

To further supplement her position against the death penalty, the author critically analyses the landmark cases, which have shaped the law on the capital punishment in India, and interprets the views of experts on the subject. She also examines a few foreign jurisdictions, and provides a comparative perspective on the issue of the death penalty.Aparna Jha is a lawyer practicing in the Supreme Court of India.

 

 

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Oxford University Press (OUP) is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.OUP is the world’s largest university press with the widest global presence. It publishes in many countries, in more than 40 languages, and in a variety of formats—print and digital. OUP products cover an extremely broad academic and educational spectrum, and OUP aims to make content available to users in a format that suits them best. In fulfilling the Press’s objective to further research, scholarship, and education, OUP India today develops path-breaking digital solutions while continuing to publish approximately 400 new books and revised editions every year. OUP India’s publishing programme covers school courses, higher education texts, academic and reference works, titles of general interest, bilingual dictionaries, atlases, adult ELT materials, and digital and assessment products. Established in 1912, OUP India has grown to be one of the largest publishers in the region, with a strong presence in India and the neighboring countries, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Headquartered in New Delhi, it has regional offices in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai. OUP India is committed to the continuous development of its publishing programmes, covering both print and digital, to meet the growing and varying learning needs of students, teachers, scholars, and general readers in the region.