Topic: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
6) Does the death penalty stop crime? Do you think India abolish capital punishment? Critically analyze. (250 words)
Why this question:
The article is in the backdrop of the recent belated acquittal of death row convicts by the supreme court that highlights the need to scrap the death penalty.
Key demand of the question:
The answer should discuss the following – the aspect whether the death penalty can stop crimes from being committed, what are the problems involved in capital punishment; a critical analysis of the subject in terms of its merits and demerits.
Directive word
Critically analyze – When asked to analyze, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a fair judgement.
Structure of the answer
Introduction:
Discuss the context of the question, quote the recent examples, highlight the trends of the judgements passed by the apex court off late.
Body:
Discussion of the answer should capture the following points :
- Problems with death penalty.support with facts and reports.
- Arguments supporting for Death Penalty and arguments against it.
- Analyse critically the aspects such as – Doesn’t the death penalty prevent crime?, capital punishment for terrorists, humane and painless aspects of execution in a capital punishment, Human rights involved etc.
- Suggest a way forward.
Conclusion –
Suggest how two-thirds of countries in the world have either abolished the death penalty outright, or no longer use it in practice. Although there have been a few steps backwards, these must be weighed up against the clear worldwide trend towards abolition.
