Criminal law/Criminal justice is a fascinating branch of knowledge, both as a law course and as a means for understanding the nature of a given society.

Criminal Law and Criminal Justice: Advanced Legal Writings by Prof. B.B. Pande is an outcome of a unique initiative that was mainly aimed at broadening the horizons of criminal justice knowledge. The first nine writings relate to substantive criminal law and the later three to procedural law themes. Each of the Writing is devoted to exploring the select core theme in terms of certain vital inquiries/issues.

The unique features of these Writings are:

1. Aim at enabling the reader to have a better understanding of the dynamics of the criminal law/criminal justice rule of law in a wide angle, cutting across countries and time periods.
2. Reflect on the criminal law and criminal justice legality at the normative and grassroots level.
3. The aim of these Writings is to impart critical knowledge on issues that remain marginalized in law curriculums.
4. Have a broader and critical view of the criminal law and criminal justice realities not limited by the requirements of a course.

The Writings will prove path-breaking in respect to the objective of updating the knowledge base in the criminal law and criminal justice subject for the learners, teachers and researchers.

Extract from the Introduction

Prof. Pande's thoughts speak of philosophical foundations and the shape of the system of criminal justice of the future.

The uniqueness of Prof. Pande's Writing lies in their ability to traverse from the primitive criminal law/criminal justice concepts to the contemporary forms holding immense value equally for the law student, researcher, lawyer and the Judge.

- Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah
Former Chief Justice of India

Introduction and Thematic Break Up
A Key to Understanding the Twelve Writings

Part A - HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF WESTERN AND INDIAN CRIMINAL LAW/SYSTEMS
I. History of the English and the Roman Criminal Law
II. History and Early Evolution of the English Criminal Law
III. History and Evolution of the Indian Criminal Law: Motivations, Structure of the Indian Penal Code 
IV. Penal Code as the Rationalised Criminal Law in the Early Colonial and Pre-independence India

Part B - THE ELEMENTS AND ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL LAW/LIABILITY
V. The “Actus Reus” Element
VI. The Mens Rea or Guilty-mind Element

Part C - THE CRITIQUES OF THE FORMAL CRIMINAL LAW SYSTEM AND ITS RESURRECTION
VII. Growing Critiques of the Formal Criminal Law System in the Western World
VIII. Evaluations of the Critical Criminal Law Writing
IX. Indicators of Resurrection of the Formal Criminal Law Systems in the West and in India

Part D - THE FORGOTTEN AND IGNORED PREMISE OF THE PROCESSUAL JUSTICE
X. Rationalising the Pre-Trial Processes in India
XI. Strivings for the Creation of Enabling Justicing Conditions
XII. Interlocking Nature of the Procedural Due Process and the Constitutional Due Process

Glossary of the Legal and Colloquial Terms used in the Writings
Subject Index