21 November 2005 :

Chief J ustice of India-designate Justice YK Sabarwal said he favoured abolition of the death penalty. Justice Sabarwal, who was due to take over as CJI on November 1, said as a Supreme Court Judge he favoured the awarding of capital punishment but he wanted to see the death penalty erased from the penal code.
"I am of the view that as per the provision of law, death penalty should be awarded in the rarest of rare cases. But, if you ask my opinion as a citizen of the country, I am for abolition of death penalty," he told reporters in reply to a question on death row mercy pleas.