CM Siddaramaiah announces Rs 10 lakh each to families of those killed in Pahalgam terror attack
Bengaluru, Apr 23 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier in the day, he also spoke to the families of those killed in the terrorist attack, over the phone and expressed his condolences.
Two people from Karnataka are among those who were killed in the terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.
The CM spoke to Pallavi, wife of Manjunath Rao of Shivamogga, and Sujatha, wife of Bharat Bhushan of Mathikere in Bengaluru, and expressed his condolences, his office said in a statement.
Bharath Bhushan was shot dead by the terrorists while his wife Sujatha and their three-year-old son were spared. Manjunath Rao, a realtor, was also killed in the presence of his wife and son.
Bodies of the deceased accompanied by their family members are expected to arrive in the state during the early hours on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah said more than 40 Kannadigas who had gone to Kashmir have been stranded due to the terrorist attack, and he instructed the authorities to arrange a special flight to bring all of them safely back to the state.
"More than 40 Kannadigas who had gone on a trip to Kashmir are stranded due to the terrorist attack, and I have instructed the authorities to arrange a special flight to bring all of them safely back to their state. Our government has taken action with the resolve to bring every Kannadiga back to the state safely. No one needs to worry," Siddaramaiah said in a post on 'X'.
Urging all those from the state who are now in Jammu and Kashmir to remain calm, he said the Karnataka government has swiftly deployed teams and sent Minister Santosh Lad to assist on the ground.
"For any help, please call 112 -- our officers are working with J&K authorities to ensure your safety and immediate support. We are with you. Your well-being is our utmost priority," he added.
A team of officials was dispatched to Kashmir on Tuesday evening to rescue people stranded there following the attack.
Earlier, confirming the death of two people from Karnataka in the terror attack, the state government has shared helpline numbers as part of its efforts to bring back the tourists from there.
It has asked tour operators and travel agents in the state to share the details of tourists who have gone to Jammu and Kashmir through them.
Relatives and acquaintances of tourists who have gone to Jammu and Kashmir have also been asked to share their details through helpline numbers: 080-43344334, 080-43344335, 080-43344336, 080-43344342.
ಜಮ್ಮು-ಕಾಶ್ಮೀರದ ಪಹಲ್ಗಾಮ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದ ಭಯೋತ್ಪಾದಕ ದಾಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮೃತಪಟ್ಟಿರುವ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಪ್ರತಿ ನಾಗರಿಕರ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳಿಗೆ ತಲಾ ಹತ್ತು ಲಕ್ಷ ರೂ.ಗಳ ಪರಿಹಾರ ನೀಡಲಾಗುವುದು. #PahalgamTerroristAttack pic.twitter.com/IYNU4QflCl
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 23, 2025
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High courts upheld only 8 per cent of death sentences; SC confirms none in recent years: Report
New Delhi (PTI): Highlighting that a high acquittal rate of death row convicts by the Supreme Court and high courts demonstrates a pattern of "erroneous or unjustified convictions", a study of 10 years of death penalty data has revealed that the top court did not confirm any death sentences in recent years.
The study by Square Circle Clinic, a criminal laws advocacy group with the NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad, found that an overwhelming majority of death sentences imposed by trial courts did not withstand scrutiny at higher judicial levels. Acquittals far outnumbered confirmations at both the high courts and Supreme Court levels.
According to the report, the trial courts across India awarded 1,310 death sentences in 822 cases between 2016 and 2025. High courts considered 842 of these sentences in confirmation proceedings but upheld only 70 or 8.31 per cent.
In contrast, 258 death sentences (30.64 per cent) resulted in acquittals. The study noted that the acquittal rate at the high court level was nearly four times the confirmation rate.
Data showed that of the 70 death sentences confirmed by high courts, the Supreme Court decided 38 and did not uphold a single one. The apex court has confirmed no death sentences between 2023 and 2025.
"Wrongful or erroneous or unjustified convictions, then, are not random or freak accidents in the Indian criminal justice system. The data indicates they are a persistent and serious systemic concern," the report said.
Over the last decade, high courts adjudicated 1,085 death sentences in 647 cases, confirming only 106 (9.77 per cent). During this period, 326 persons in 191 cases, were acquitted.
The report attributed low confirmation rates to the appellate judiciary’s concerns regarding failures in due process. "This coincides with increased Supreme Court scrutiny of safeguards at the sentencing stage," the report said.
Of the 153 death sentences decided by the apex court over the last decade, the accused were acquitted in 38 cases. In 2025 alone, high courts overturned death sentences into acquittals in 22 out of 85 cases (over 25 per cent). The same year, Supreme Court acquitted accused persons in more than half of the death penalty cases it decided (10 out of 19), the report said.
The study highlighted that 364 persons who were ultimately acquitted "should not even have been convicted and unjustifiably suffered the trauma of death row". It added that such failures extend beyond adjudication and reflect serious lapses in investigation and prosecution.
The question of remedies for wrongful convictions remains pending before the Supreme Court. In September 2025, three persons acquitted by the apex court filed writ petitions seeking compensation from the state and argued that their wrongful convictions violated their fundamental right to life and liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.
"In 2022, the Supreme Court crystallised a sentencing process in Manoj v. State of Madhya Pradesh , and mandated all courts to follow those guidelines before imposing or confirming a death sentence," the report read.
In 2025, the apex court held in Vasanta Sampat Dupare v. Union of India that death penalty sentencing hearings form part of the right to a fair trial and stressed that capital punishment can be imposed only after a constitutionally compliant sentencing process.
"However, even at the high courts whether the process mandated under Manoj is being complied with is in doubt,” the report said.
