Call for Chapters: Book on ‘Capital Punishment and Human Rights’ by Dr. Mandeep Kaur, Mahindra University, Hyderabad [ISBN Publication]: Submit Abstracts by April 30!

30 Mar 2026

Categories: Call for Papers

About the Organizer

This edited volume is being curated by Dr. Mandeep Kaur, Associate Professor, School of Law, Mahindra University, Hyderabad. The initiative is academic in nature and aims to promote research and scholarship in the field of constitutional law and human rights.

About the Opportunity

This ISBN-registered edited book seeks to critically examine the death penalty within contemporary constitutional and human rights discourse. It aims to provide a platform for academicians, researchers, practitioners, and students to engage with questions of justice, dignity, and state power.

About the Book

The death penalty continues to occupy a deeply contested space within both criminal justice and human rights discourse. While it has long been a part of legal systems across jurisdictions, its legitimacy is increasingly being questioned in light of evolving constitutional values and a growing emphasis on human dignity.

At the heart of this debate is a fundamental tension between the power of the state to impose punishment and the individual’s right to life.

International human rights frameworks, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the ICCPR, place important limits on the use of capital punishment and raise serious concerns about its compatibility with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment.

In practice, the death penalty often brings with it concerns of arbitrariness, discrimination, and procedural unfairness.

It tends to disproportionately affect those from marginalized backgrounds, while issues such as wrongful convictions, lack of effective legal representation, and the psychological burden of prolonged death row incarceration further complicate its justification.

Although jurisdictions like India continue to retain the death penalty under the “rarest of rare” doctrine, there is a clear and steady global movement toward its abolition. This shift reflects a broader recognition that respect for human dignity and the right to life must remain central to any just legal system.

This edited volume seeks to engage with these questions by inviting contributions that critically examine capital punishment as a pressing human rights issue in contemporary times.

Themes

Submissions are invited on themes including, but not limited to:

Right to Life and Constitutional Limits of Capital Punishment
Human Dignity and Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Punishment
Due Process, Fair Trial, and Wrongful Convictions in Capital Cases
Death Row Phenomenon and Psychological Dimensions
Comparative Perspectives: Abolitionist and Retentionist Jurisdictions
Death Penalty in India: “Rarest of Rare” Doctrine and Judicial Discretion
International Human Rights Law and the Movement toward Abolition
Victims’ Rights, Retribution, and Restorative Justice Alternatives
Technology, Media, and Public Opinion in Capital Punishment
Arbitrariness, Discrimination, and Structural Inequality in Death Sentencing

Eligibility

The call is open to academicians, researchers, legal practitioners, and students.

Location

Online (open to participants globally)

Submission Details

Abstract: 250–300 words
Full Chapter: Maximum 3,500 words (including references)
Citation Style: Bluebook (21st Edition)
Language: English
Plagiarism limit: 10%
Co-authorship: up to 3 authors permitted

Fee Details

A nominal publication fee is applicable upon acceptance of the abstract (Rs. 800 for single authors and Rs. 500 per co-author, with a maximum of 3 co-authors permitted).