Exclusive: Supreme Court senior advocate Sidharth Luthra has today accepted his appointment to become additional solicitor general (ASG).

Over 7 lakh undertrial prisoners have been released in the last year-and-a-half following a joint initiative by the government and High Courts of India, according to law minister Veerappa Moily, seeking to reduce prison populations.

The Bombay High Court has upheld the trial court’s verdict imposing a death sentence on 26/11 convicted terrorist Ajmal Kasab, with an appeal before the Supreme Court and a plea for the President’s clemency now emerging as possible options to save him from execution.

The Indian criminal justice system is near to breaking point as 300,000 people or 70 per cent of India’s prison population consists of those awaiting trial facing a morass of judicial delays, according to a research paper discussing the current state of the Indian criminal justice delivery system.

Mumbai terror attack gunman Mohammad Ajmal Kasab has been sentenced to death by hanging today, although appeals could be on the cards and India has not executed anyone since 2004.