CHENNAI: In a significant move, the state government has introduced community service as a form of punishment for certain offences, under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
According to a report in The Times of India, following the governor's approval, the home department has established a framework of 16 specific services that courts can assign to offenders. The initiative aims at reformative justice by offering an alternative to conventional fines or imprisonment.
The designated tasks which aims at benefitting the society includes maintaining cleanliness in hospital wards and school classrooms, organizing books in public libraries, tending to public parks and beaches and assisting in the casualty and outpatient departments of hospitals.
Apart from this, other duties include traffic regulation, tree plantation, upkeep of government offices and hostels and providing support to senior citizens in old-age homes.
Experts said that the nature and length of the community service order will be determined by the court. Government-appointed monitors and district probation officers will be responsible for ensuring the completion of the work and will submit compliance reports directly back to the court.
It may be noted that the alternative sentencing will not be applicable for serious, non-bailable offences such as murder, rape, criminal intimidation, conspiracy or cheating. The government also specified that all community service will be carried out exclusively within government-run institutions.