Community service
Topic: Justice Delivery: Subordinate Courts, Tribunals, Legal Aid and Judicial Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Community service is a new kind of punishment added by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, which replaced the Indian Penal Code. The court orders the offender to do unpaid work that helps the public. It is used only for petty (minor) offences. The aim is to reform the offender and keep them out of crowded jails. This is the first time Indian criminal law has listed it as a formal punishment.
Example
Since the BNS came into force on 1 July 2024, a court can deal with a person found guilty of a minor offence this way. Instead of a short jail term, the court may order them to do unpaid work, such as cleaning a public place, for a set period.
Don't confuse with
- Plea bargaining: here the accused pleads guilty in return for a lighter sentence. It is a way of ending a case. Community service is the punishment itself.
Related concepts
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023
- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023
- Malimath Committee
- Mob lynching
- Trial in absentia
- Witness Protection Scheme 2018
- Public prosecutor
- Inter-operable Criminal Justice System