New Delhi: In two weeks, the four convicts in the 16 December gangrape and murder case will be hanged together in a row. For this, the nooses have been arranged, the hangman intimated and the gallows and platform renovated.
There is, however, a whole lot more that goes into the execution of a hanging in Delhi.
According to the Delhi Prison Rules 2018, a medical officer will have to give a detailed report on the drop to be given to the prisoner (how deep the body will fall) at least four days before the date of the execution.
There are also several measurements of the prisoner that are required — of their necks, their height to the angle of the jaw immediately below the left ear and the height from the drop shutter when fixed in position to the lower portion of the ring on the beam to which the rope will be affixed.
Also, in accordance with the jail manual, none of the other prisoners can attend an execution, in fact they are kept inside their cells until the process is over.
The hanging has been scheduled for 7 am on 22 January after a Delhi court Tuesday issued a death warrant for the four convicts — Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta, Akshay Thakur and Mukesh — for the gang rape and murder of a paramedical student in 2012.
As Tihar prepares for the hangings — to be carried out in a row for the first time in India — ThePrint takes a look at the steps, guidelines and rules on how that will be implemented.
Mandatory inspection of gallows
Firstly, an executive engineer of the PWD will carry out an inspection of the gallows every four days after the issuance of the black warrant and the day before the hanging.
“The gallows are inspected and the rope tested in the presence of the (jail) superintendent, the evening before the execution,” says the Delhi jail manual.
As a rule, a dummy or a bag of sand weighing 1.5 times the weight of the prisoner will be hanged and dropped between 1.830 and 2.440 metres to test the rope.
Two spare ropes are kept for each prisoner on the scaffold in case of any accident.
Medical report on how deep should the prisoner fall
The jail manual directs a medical officer to prepare a report about the length of the drop to be given to the prisoner.
The medical officer of the prison works out the details of the length of the drop on the basis of the weight of the prisoner.
More the weight, less deep the fall.
For instance, if the prisoner weighs less than 45.360 kgs, he should be given a drop of 2.4440 metres. If the prisoner weighs between 45.330 and 60.330 kgs, he should be given a drop of 2.290 metres.
If the prisoner weighs more than 60.330 kgs, but not more than 75.330 kgs, he should be given a drop of 2.130 metres. If the prisoner weighs more than 75.330 kgs but not more than 90.720 kgs, he should be given a drop of 1.980 metres and finally, if the prisoner weighs more than 90.720 kgs, he should be given a drop of 1.830 metres.
The weight and height of all the four prisoners has already been measured, however, an updated measurement will be taken next week, a Tihar source told ThePrint.
Also read: Gym instructor, fruitseller, bus driver — the 6 men convicted in Nirbhaya gangrape-murder
How long should the rope be?
There is a procedure that is followed to adjust the length of the rope so that the required drop is achieved.
According to the jail manual, the height of the prisoner to the angle of the jaw immediately below the left ear is accurately measured, as well as the height from the drop shutter to the lower portion of the ring in the beam to which the rope will be affixed.
These two measurements determine the distance between the prisoner’s jaw and the drop on which he is standing.
A measurement of the prisoners’ necks will also be taken.
“The length of rope for any given drop shall be the length of the drop plus the distance from the angle of the prisoner’s jaw to the ring in the beam,” the manual says.
It further says that wax or butter shall be applied to the loop of the rope.
No prisoners to witness the hanging
According to the jail manual, relatives of the prisoners and other prisoners are not allowed to witness the execution.
The superintendent, with the approval of the government, may, however, permit social scientists, psychologists, psychiatrists who are conducting a research to be present.
“A guard of not less than ten constables, wardens and two head constables, head wardens or an equal number from the prison Armed Guards, shall be present at every execution,” it says.
“Prisoners of all categories shall be kept locked up until the execution is over and the body removed from the prison.”
Day of the hanging
Hangings usually take place early in the morning. The time granted by the court for the convicts in this case is 7 am.
On the morning of the execution, the jail superintendent will first ensure that all the formalities related to the execution are completed and there is no communication from any competent authority pending.
The superintendent, the district magistrate or additional district magistrate and the medical officer will then meet the prisoners in their cell.
Next, the hands of the prisoners will be tied behind their backs and their handcuffs removed.
The four will then be taken to the scaffold under the charge of the deputy superintendent and guarded by the head warder and six warders — two in front, two behind and two holding their arms.
Once the prisoners reach the scaffold, a cotton cap with a flap will be placed on their faces just before they enter the gallows-enclosures.
“The prisoner should not be allowed to see the gallows,” say the jail rules.
The men will then be escorted to the noose and will be placed directly under the beam to which the rope is attached. At this time, the warders will still be holding them by their arms.
Also read: 16 December Delhi gangrape not the only delayed trial, SC to reassess justice system
Over to the hangman
The four will then be handed over to the hangman, who will strap their legs tightly together and adjust the ropes tightly around their necks.
According to the jail rules, at this time, the nose should be 1-1/2 inches to the right or left of the middle line and free from the flap of the cap.
The superintendent will then check if the rope around the necks of the prisoners is adjusted properly and the knot placed in the proper position.
The warders holding the prisoners’ arms will now withdraw, and after a signal from the superintendent, the executioner will draw the bolt.
The jail manual says that this entire operation should be done “simultaneously and quickly as possible”.
After this, the superintendent will give the final signal to the hangman to push the lever to release the trap-door and hang the men.
According to rules, the bodies will remain suspended for half-an-hour before they are taken down or until the resident medical officer has certified that “life is extinct”.
Bodies to be disposed of according to requirements of religion
Once the men are executed and their bodies taken off the gallows, they will be sent for a post-mortem examination.
“This was not done earlier, but after 2014 Supreme Court ruling, it was made mandatory,” a Tihar official said.
Although it has not yet been decided how the bodies of the four convicts will be disposed of, the jail manual says it should be done in accordance with the requirements of the religion to which the executed prisoner belonged.
Also, if the executed prisoner’s relatives make a written application to perform the last rites, the government may, in its discretion, allow such request, provided that the relatives give an undertaking in writing that they will not make a public demonstration of any kind in relation to their cremation or burial.
The manual also says that the body of the executed prisoner shall be taken out of the prison “with all solemnity”.
“A municipal hearse or ambulance shall be used for the transportation of the body to the cremation or burial ground. The Superintendent is authorised to incur all reasonable expenditure required for the transportation and disposal of the dead body.”
Also read: Much-needed closure in 16 December gangrape is afoot. Curative plea loop mustn’t start now
Capital punishment is inhuman
And Rape???