VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has framed new guidelines aimed at reforming persons involved in minor offences instead of turning them into hardened criminals through imprisonment.
In line with the newly implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the court has officially introduced community service as an alternative punishment to jail terms and fines for petty offences.
The State government recently issued a notification publishing the guidelines in the Gazette, making them applicable across all subordinate courts in the State with immediate effect.
The initiative is expected to particularly benefit youth and first-time offenders who commit minor or unintentional offences. The move is aimed at preventing their future from being affected by imprisonment while also reducing overcrowding in jails.
The High Court had earlier imposed community service in several contempt cases even before the BNS formally recognised it as a punishment. Under the previous IPC provisions, punishments were limited to the death penalty, life imprisonment, imprisonment, confiscation of property and fines.
However, Section 4 of the BNS introduced community service as the sixth form of punishment. Section 23 of the BNS defines community service as unpaid work assigned by courts for public benefit. Convicts sentenced to community service may be directed to work in government hospitals, schools, libraries, police stations, parks, old-age homes and other public institutions. Duties may include cleaning public premises, assisting hospital staff, maintaining parks, supporting traffic regulation, arranging books in libraries and participating in plantation drives.
Courts can impose community service ranging from one to 31 days or between 40 and 240 hours. The implementation will be supervised by probation officers and designated officials.
However, the punishment will not apply to serious offences such as murder, rape, corruption, sedition or crimes against women and children, where stringent imprisonment or capital punishment will continue to apply.
