CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN INDIA - A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

CRIME denotes an unlawful act punishable by a state. The term "crime" does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition, though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes. In early society the victim had himself (as there was no State or other authority) to punish the offender through retaliatory and revengeful methods; this was, naturally, governed by chance and personal passion. Even in the advanced Rig- Vedic period there is a mention that punishment of a thief rested with the very person wronged. In modern period the government has the power to severely restrict one's liberty for committing a crime. In modern societies, there are procedures to which investigations and trials must adhere. If found guilty, an offender may be sentenced to a form of reparation such as a community sentence, or, depending on the nature of their offence, to undergo imprisonment, life imprisonment or, in some jurisdictions, execution. Therefore the present study focused on concept of crime and its types, the concept of Punishment and as well as its study the types of Punishment in India in ancient, medieval and modern era.