Criminal Law means offences and it includes felonies and misdemeanors. The standard of proof for crimes is "beyond a reasonable doubt." Indian Criminal Laws deal with three major acts i.e. Indian Penal Code, 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and Indian Evidence Act, 1872. Besides these major acts, special Criminal Laws are also passed by Indian Parliament i.e. NDPS, Prevention of Corruption Act, Food Adulteration Act, Dowry Prevention Act, etc. and thousands other minor laws are made in India. A body of rules and statutes that defines the conduct which are prohibited by the government because it threatens and harms public safety and welfare and that establishes punishment to be imposed for the commission of such acts.
Indian legal system considers a person "innocent until proven guilty" and therefore the arrest of a person will be a violation of citizen’s fundamental right of Article 21 of Constitution "No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law." Arrest of an accused is not a punishment as mob opinion dictates, but it’s merely done in order to ensure the presence of the accused on trial in connection with any offence to which he is directly or indirectly connected or to prevent the commission of a criminal offence. In a free society, the personal liberty of a person is of utmost importance and even the sovereign is also not allowed to take it away without any reasonable reason and strictly according to the procedure established by law.
