The Pakistan Penal Code (; ), abbreviated as PPC, is a
penal code
A criminal code (or penal code) is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that might ...
for all offences charged in
Pakistan. It was originally prepared by
Lord Macaulay with a great consultation in 1860 on the behalf of the
Government of India as the
Indian Penal Code. After the
independence in 1947, Pakistan inherited the same code and subsequently after several amendments by different governments, in Pakistan it is now a mixture of Islamic and English Law. Presently, the Pakistan Penal Code is still in effect and can be amended by the
Parliament of Pakistan.
History
The draft of the (British) Indian Penal Code was prepared by the First Law Commission and it was chaired by
Lord Macaulay. Its basis is the law of England freed from superfluities, technicalities and local peculiarities. Suggestions were also derived from the French Penal Code and from Livingstone's Code of Louisiana. The draft underwent a very careful revision at the hands of Sir
Barnes Peacock, Chief Justice, and puisne Judges of the
Calcutta Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
who were members of the
Legislative Council, and it was passed into law in 1860. Macaulay did not survive to see the Penal Code's enactment.
Though it is principally the work of a man who had hardly held a brief, and whose time was devoted to
politics and
literature, it was universally acknowledged to be a monument of codification and an everlasting memorial to the high juristic attainments of its distinguished author. For example, even cyber crimes can be punished under the code.
Jurisdiction
Section 1. Title and extent of operation of the Code. This Act shall be called the Pakistan Penal Code, and shall take effect throughout Pakistan.
* Section 4
The provisions of this Code apply also to any offence committed by:-
* (1) any citizen of Pakistan or any person in the service of Pakistan in any place without and beyond Pakistan;
* (4) any person on any ship or aircraft registered in Pakistan wherever it may be.
Explanation: In this section the word "offence" includes every act committed outside Pakistan which, if committed in Pakistan, would be punishable under this Code. Extension of Code to extraterritorial offences.
Punishments
* Section 53.
The punishments to which offenders are liable under the provisions of this Code are:
* First,
Qisas
''Qisas'' or ''Qiṣāṣ'' ( ar, قِصَاص, Qiṣāṣ, lit=accountability, following up after, pursuing or prosecuting) is an Islamic term interpreted to mean "retaliation in kind",Mohamed S. El-Awa (1993), Punishment In Islamic Law, Amer ...
("retribution");
* Second,
Diyat
''Diya'' ( ar, دية; plural ''diyāt'', ar, ديات) in Islamic law, is the financial compensation paid to the victim or heirs of a victim in the cases of murder, bodily harm or property damage by mistake. It is an alternative punishment to ' ...
;
* Third, Arsh− (Pre-specified Compensation);
* Fourth, Daman (Compensation determined by court to be paid by the offender to the victim for causing hurt not liable to Arsh);
* Fifth,
Ta'zir
In Islamic Law, ''tazir'' (''ta'zeer'' or ''ta'zir'', ar, تعزير) refers to punishment for offenses at the discretion of the judge (Qadi) or ruler of the state.[Section 420
Section 420 in the Indian Penal Code deals with ''Cheating'' and ''dishonestly inducing delivery of property''. The maximum punishment which can be awarded under this section is imprisonment for a term of 7 year and fine.
Definitions
:* Chea ...]
*
Court system of Pakistan
*
Blasphemy law in Pakistan
*
Copyright protection in Pakistan The basic legal instrument governing copyright law in Pakistan is the ''Copyright Ordinance, 1962'' as amended by the ''Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance, 2000''.
Copyright Ordinance, 1962
Objects of copyright
According to section 10 copyright ...
*
Gay rights in Pakistan
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Pakistan face social difficulties compared to non-LGBT persons. Even in large cities, gays and lesbians have to be highly discreet about their sexual orientation. Pakistani law prescribes ...
*
Hudood Ordinance
The Hudood Ordinances (Urdu ; also Romanized Hadood, Hadud, Hudud; singular form is ''Hadh'' or ''hadd'') are laws in Pakistan that were enacted in 1979 as part of then military ruler Zia-ul-Haq's "Islamisation" process. It replaced parts of the ...
*
Women related laws in Pakistan
The legislative assembly of Pakistan has enacted a number of measures designed to give women more power in the areas of family, inheritance, revenue, civil and criminal laws. These measures are an attempt to safeguard women's right to freedom of s ...
References
External links
Full text of the Pakistan Penal Code– up-to-date with all amendments – Pakistani.org
Pakistan Penal Code 1860– pakistancode.gov.pk
{{Judiciary of Pakistan, state=expanded
Pakistani legislation
Government documents of Pakistan
Criminal codes
1947 establishments