Moral Underpinnings in Judicial Language: The Role of Religious and Philosophical Texts in Supreme Court Judgments on Capital Punishment

This article explores the potential and challenges of referencing philosophical andreligious texts, specifically the Bhagavad Gita and the Christian Bible, in the contextof Supreme Court judgments on capital punishment. By examining instances wherethese texts could contribute moral clarity and ethical reflection to legal reasoning, thestudy aims to understand how such references might add depth to judicial discourse,resonate with societal values, and frame legal decisions in a broader philosophicalcontext. This interdisciplinary approach contributes to both legal linguistics and ethicsin law by examining how these references could enrich the interpretive power ofjudgments in criminal law.