Political Science · Ch 2 — Rights in the Indian Constitution
Rights of accused
Rights of accused
Articles 20 and 22 give a person accused of a crime, or arrested and detained,
a specific set of protections against arbitrary state power. Article 20 lays down three separate
safeguards: a person cannot be convicted of an offence except for violating a law that was already
in force at the time the act was committed (no punishment under a law passed after the act, i.e. no
ex post facto punishment); a person cannot be prosecuted and punished for the same offence more than
once (protection against double jeopardy); and a person accused of an offence cannot be compelled to
be a witness against themselves (protection against self-incrimination).
Drawn by us to help you understand the concept clearly, and verified to make sure it's accurate. For exams, practice from your NCERT textbook's own diagram.
Portrait of Constituent Assembly member Somnath Lahiri, who criticised the fundamental rights as framed from the point of view of a police constable, with restrictive provisos Own-illustrated for this platform from the real NCERT page's own facts (composition, labels, and content are recreated; the specific artistic rendering of any real p …
Article 22 adds procedural protections at the moment of arrest: a person who is arrested has the
right to be informed of the grounds of the arrest, the right to consult and be defended by a lawyer
of their choice, and the right to be produced before the nearest magistrate within twenty-four hours …