Let’s talk about punishments in India, shall we? Spoiler alert though, it kinda has been a wild story, let’s just get to it. Like, imagine public humiliation, whips, and of course, the death penalty for any crime. Justice seemed then purely concerned with vengeance. Britishers came, and things were a little nearer to that fine concept called a legal system- structured; punishment by fines and imprisonment became a kind of norm, you know? Now, you see, the law is more about how to make these offenders better human rather than just taking their lives and taking vengeance. Let’s see what are some punishments under the criminal law of India.
First Of All, What Does Indian Law Say About Punishments?
For punishment purposes, India has two giant legal volumes aka rulebooks: the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Just so you know though, the Indian Penal Code prescribes what is the crime and what the punishment should be there. As for the CrPC? That is your playbook for how trial and sentencing occur. Here, judges are the ones to decide like how much punishment fits the crime. Though, it doesn’t only depend on the crime itself; factors such as intent or whether it’s the first time someone is messing up come into play.
The Five Ways India Punishes Criminals
Alright, when it comes to punishing criminals right here in India, there are actually four (now five) ways to do it, but keep in mind, the case and the crime done by someone is the main factor that decides what punishment they get. So, let’s see which are these five punishment types.
- Death Penalty: Alright, just to be clear here, this type of punishment is for the worst and the most heinous crimes out there like terrorism, murder, etc. It should convey a loud and terrifying message but is also a bit controversial. Debate is on whether this is too much punishment.
- Imprisonment: There are two categories with this one, like, simple and rigorous. Simple is the type where one spends some time in jail as punishment for a minor crime. And sure enough, rigorous is when the person has to work while serving his sentence with hard labour.
- Fines: For minor offences, you are likely to be fined, which means that you will have to part with some little cash, simple as that!
- Property Forfeiture: You see, things like smuggling and corruption are offences that oftentimes will see the government taking your things from you.
- Community Service: Although it is not yet well known in India, this one’s slowly catching on. What’s this one? Well, offenders would face such punishment for petty crimes and instead be engaging in public works like, clean-up drives within their communities instead of imprisonment. Honestly, it’s not a bad idea.
India vs. the World
Well, when we talk about a nation and how they treat criminals, that’s when we often compare the law to other nations, mainly from Western countries, right? So, all in all, how does India stack up globally? To be honest, it’s kinda mixed. Many developed countries lean heavily on rehabilitation, and India’s starting to catch on, but the death penalty? Well, that’s still open for many debates.