Simply, Legal! Penal Code

Shweta Vishwanathan is a gold medallist from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. When she decided to help out other kids like her, who didn't want to be Doctors or Engineers, the Simply, Legal series evolved. Following her passion for sports, she currently works as an Assistant Director, in the Sports Authority of India and is based out of Delhi.

Shweta Vishwanathan's Penal Code is part of EBC's Simply, Legal! series. The author has made an excellent effort to convey the concepts, contours and conundrums of one of the basic branches of law - Criminal Law contained in the Penal Code. The narrative style of the book is simple and very easy to understand. The book is divided into 15 chapters and covers all the topics taught under Criminal Law from "What exactly is a crime" to Elements and Stages of a Crime.

All the topics under the Penal Code such as Kinds of Punishments, General Exceptions, Abetment, and Joint Liability have been taught in a conversational manner to bring back the fun of studying the basic laws of India.

Other topics in this book include Offences against the human body, offences relating to marriage, offences against property, offences against the state, offences against public tranquillity etc. In this book, the principles of Criminal Law are linked with everyday examples to bring home a realisation that law is all around you and not some isolated, complicated thing standing by itself.

This book will also help the reader to think like a lawyer by comprehending the various principles of criminal law, applying it to a given situation and getting the answer as per the law. This book is useful not just for novices who are not initiated into the study of law but also for lawyers and judges who want to brush up on their fundamentals over a period of time.

Excerpt from the foreword

The book Simply Legal! Penal Code by Shweta Vishwanathan, is a scintillating read. If I were, to sum up, the book, I would only say that I wish that such books had existed when I was a law student. With an engaging and interactive style, the author manages to immediately grip the reader's attention, and before long one finds that one has turned several pages, and grasped, or as in my case, refreshed multiple legal concepts.

This is a wonderful book for anyone seeking an introduction to criminal law and is a thoroughly enjoyable read even for experienced lawyers.

- K.K. Venugopal
Senior Advocate and Former Attorney General for India

Table of Contents:

Table of Cases
Introduction
1. What Exactly is a Crime?
2. Elements of a Crime
3. Stages of a Crime
4. Kinds of Punishments
5. General Exceptions
6. Abetment
7. Joint Liability
8. Offences Against Public Tranquillity
9. Offences Against the Human Body
10. Offences Relating to Marriage
11. Offences Against Property
12. Defamation
13. Offences Against the State
14. False Evidence and Offences Against Public Justice
15. Offences with Coins and Government Stamps
Conclusion
Subject Index