Nagpur: The Nagpur Central Jail is set to join the select list of prisons in India capable of executing two death row convicts simultaneously, as construction of a state-of-the-art double gallows nears completion. This new facility replaces the outdated gallows and is designed with advanced mechanisms for carrying out executions.
The new gallows platform, measuring 2.5 by 1.2 meters, is almost ready, with only final plaster work remaining. Officials expect the execution yard to be fully operational within two months. Once functional, Nagpur will become one of the few locations in the country equipped with infrastructure to execute two convicts at once.
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29 May 2025
The last execution at Nagpur Central Jail took place in 2015, when Yakub Memon — convicted in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts — was hanged. The procedural and technical challenges faced during that execution prompted authorities to plan a modernized facility.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had sanctioned the project in February 2020, assigning the Public Works Department (PWD) to carry out the construction. A formal work order was issued in December 2022.
Technical guidance for the gallows system is being provided by the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur. According to sources, a team of experts has already inspected the site and the complete system is expected to be ready within 15 days.
Globally, only 55 countries, including India, continue to practice capital punishment. In contrast, 144 countries have abolished it either in law or in practice. Among India’s neighbouring countries, only Nepal has officially abolished the death penalty.
India sentences an average of 131 convicts to death each year. In 2024, Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 130 death penalty verdicts, followed by Gujarat (71), Maharashtra (42), and West Bengal (37). Currently, 544 convicts across India are on death row. However, the Supreme Court has not confirmed any execution sentence over the past two years.
