Capital punishment is the punishment of death which is generally awarded to those guilty of heinous crimes, particularly murder and child rape. In Indian the traditional way of awarding this punishment is "handing by the neck" till the death of the criminal. In other countries, shooting, electric chair, etc...,are the various devices used for the purpose.
Though the awarding of capital punishment, specially for murder, is according to age-old, tradition, in recent times there has been much hue and cry against it. It has been said that capital punishment is brutal, that it is according to the law of jungle - "an eye for an eye", and tooth for a tooth". It is pointed out that there can be no more place for it in a civilized country. Moreover, judges are not infallible and there are instances where innocent people have been sent to the gallows owing to some error of judgment.