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    22.12.14

    About the Bangladesh Penal Code 1860

    The Penal Code 1860 is the earliest and the main body of laws which deals with different kinds of offences and punishments. Offences under the Code have been classified as those
    (i)          against the State;
    (ii)        related to the Army, Navy and the Air Force;
    (iii)       against the public tranquility;
    (iv)       by or related to the public servants;
    (v)        related to elections;
    (vi)       for contempt of the lawful authority of public servants;
    (vii)     of false evidence and against public justice;
    (viii)   related to coins and government stamps;
    (ix)       related to weights and measures;
    (x)        affecting public health, safety, convenience, decency and morals;
    (xi)       related to religion;
    (xii)     Affecting the human body which have further been sub-divided into offences affecting life, and causing miscarriage, kidnapping, rape, dacoity, or related to marriage, criminal breach of trust and so on.
    The offences against the State mainly consist of waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Bangladesh; conspiring to commit the said offences; collecting arms with the intention of waging war against Bangladesh; sedition; waging war against any neighboring power in alliance with Bangladesh; and assaulting the President of Bangladesh or government with intent to restrain or compel exercise of any lawful power. Offences relating to Army, Navy and Air Force mainly consist of abatement of mutiny; attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty; abatement of assault by soldier, sailor or airman on his superior officer when in execution of his office; abatement of desertion of soldier, sailor or airman; harbouring deserter and wearing garb or carrying token used by soldier, sailor or airman. Offences related to religion consist of injuring or defiling place of worship; deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion; disturbing religious assembly; trespassing in any place of worship or any burial place or cremation ground with intent to insult the religion of any person, and uttering words or sound with intent to wound religious feelings of another person.
    Rape of a woman, kidnapping, theft, extortion, robbery, dacoity, dishonest misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust etc are all punishable under Penal laws. At the same time offences related to culpable homicide amounting to murder, fraudulent execution of deed of transfer containing false statement, killing or maiming cattle, house-trespass are crimes which are also subject to punishment.
    The gravity of an offence provides for imposing death penalty, imprisonment for life, forfeiture of property, fine and whipping as the case may be. Death sentence is the highest form of punishment under the Penal Code and may be imposed for treason, abatement of mutiny, perjury resulting in an innocent person being convicted and executed, murder, abatement of suicide of a minor or insane or intoxicated person, attempt to murder by a person under sentence of imprisonment for life, kidnapping or abducting a person under the age of ten and murder while committing dacoity. Imprisonment for life may be imposed for the above offences and some other grave offences. Imprisonment for various terms may be imposed with fine or without fine for the remaining offences.
    In case of some heinous offences court may impose fine only instead of imposing sentence of imprisonment. For some heinous offences court may impose sentence of whipping with imprisonment. In some of the offences court may order for forfeiture of the property of the accused. The government may commute a sentence of death including an imprisonment for life to imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding twenty years. The President may grant pardons, reprieve respites or remissions of sentence.
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    Item Reviewed: About the Bangladesh Penal Code 1860 Rating: 5 Reviewed By: Ripon Abu Hasnat
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