Nagpur: The Nagpur Central Jail, one of Maharashtra’s two facilities equipped with an execution chamber, currently holds 16 prisoners on death row. It ranks second in the State after Pune’s Yerwada Jail, which has 21 convicts awaiting execution.
Among them, Sampat Vasant Dupare — convicted for the brutal rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Nagpur’s Wadi are — is closest to the gallows. After exhausting legal remedies, his mercy plea was rejected by the President of India. However, he has now moved the Supreme Court in a final attempt to escape the noose.
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Tuesday18 March 2025
According to prison officials, death sentences are reserved for the “rarest of rare” crimes, including gruesome murders and acts of terror. A High Court confirmation is mandatory before execution, and convicts can appeal to the Supreme Court or seek clemency from the President. Many inmates at Nagpur Central Jail are navigating these legal hurdles, with cases pending at various judicial levels.
Founded in 1864 during British rule, Nagpur Central Jail is one of only two prisons in Maharashtra — along with Yerwada Jail — that has a dedicated ‘Fansi Yard’ for executions. This facility has made Nagpur a holding centre for death row convicts from across the state, including those involved in high-profile terrorist attacks such as:
• The 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts
• The 2006 Mumbai train bombings
• The 2008 Zaveri Bazaar blast
Inmates on death row are housed separately under strict surveillance. The last execution in Nagpur Central Jail took place on July 30, 2015, when Yakub Memon, convicted for financing the 1993 Mumbai bombings, was hanged. Before Memon, the Wankhede brothers from Amravati were the last to be executed in 1984 for murder.
Since India’s independence, 21 executions have taken place at Nagpur Central Jail, with the first recorded hanging on August 25, 1950. With legal proceedings nearing completion for some convicts, the next execution may not be far off.
