NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science (Civics) Understanding Our Criminal Justice System [Old Book]

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 8TH

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Class : 8th
Subject : Social-Science-Civics
Chapter : 6
Chapter Name : Understanding Our Criminal Justice System

Q1 Why do you think there is a rule that confessions made during police custody cannot be used as
evidence against the accused?

Page : 71 , Block Name : What is the Role of the Police in Investigating a Crime?

Q1 Now let us return to the story of Shanti and answer the following questions:
a) When Shanti was arrested for theft, S.I. Rao also kept her brother Sushil in thepolice lock up for
two days. Was it legal for the police to detain him? Does it violate the D.K. Basu guidelines?
b) Did S.I. Rao do enough to question witnesses and compile evidence before arresting Shanti and
ling a case against her? In keeping with the duties of the police as stated above, what else do you
think S.I. Rao could have done as part of his investigation?

Answer. Missing.

Page : 72 , Block Name : What is the Role of the Police in Investigating a Crime?

Q2 Now let us take a slightly different scenario. Shanti and her brother Sushil go to the police
station to complain that Mr Shinde’s 20-year old son had stolen Rs 15,000 that they had been
saving up. Do you think that the of cer in charge of the Police Station will promptly lodge an FIR?
List a few factors that in your opinion may in uence the decision of the police to register or not
register an FIR.

Page : 72 , Block Name : What is the Role of the Police in Investigating a Crime?

Q1 What did the judge say in Shanti’s case after hearing the testimony of all the witnesses?

Page : 73 , Block Name : What is the Role of the Judge?

Q1 Write in your own words what you understand of the following processes based on the above
description of Shanti’s case.
a) Open Court:
b) Basis of Evidence:

c) Cross-examination of Prosecution Witnesses:

Page : 75 , Block Name : What is a Fair Trial?

Q2 Discuss in class what might have happened in Shanti’s case if the following procedures had not
been observed.
a) If she were not defended by a lawyer.
b) If the court had not assumed her to be innocent.

Page : 75 , Block Name : What is a Fair Trial?

Q1 In a town called Peace Land, the supporters of the Fiesta football team learn that the
supporters of the Jubilee football team in the nearby city about 40 km away have damaged the
ground on which the Final between both teams is to be held the following day. A crowd of Fiesta
fans armed with deadly weapons attacks the homes of the supporters of the Jubilee football team
in the town. In the attack, 10 men are killed, 5 women are gravely hurt, many homes are destroyed
and over 50 people injured. Imagine that you and your classmates are now part of the criminal
justice system. First divide the class into the following four groups of persons:
a) Police b) Public Prosecutor c) Defence lawyer d) Judge
The column on the right provides a list of functions. Match these with the roles that are listed on
the left. Have each group pick the functions that it needs to perform to bring justice to those who
were affected by the violence of the Fiesta fans. In what order, will these functions be performed?

Now take the same situation but ask one student who is a supporter of the Fiesta Club to perform
all the functions listed above. Do you think the victims would get justice if only one person
performed all of the functions of the criminal justice system? Why not? State two reasons why you
believe that different persons need to play different roles as part of the criminal justice system.

Answer. Police: record the statements of witnesses; take photographs of burnt homes; arrest the
Fiesta fans; get the assaulted women medically examined.

Public Prosecutor: cross examine the witnesses; examine the witnesses in court; argue the case for
the victims.
Defence Lawyer: cross examine the witnesses; meet the accused persons; examine the witness in
court.
Judge: hear the witness; writes the judgment; decide for how many years the accused will be put in
jail; pass the judgment.
The victims would not get justice if only one person performed all of the functions of the criminal
justice system because a separation of powers is necessary within a judicial system too since
absolute power can never be fair.
Different persons need to play different roles as part of the criminal justice system because: one,
all aspects of an investigation and trial cannot be conducted by one person alone as they entail
diverse kinds of work including, arrests, recording of witness statements, defence of accused and
victims’ parties, passing of a fair trial and a judicially correct judgment. Two, if all these powers
are vested in one person alone, they might be misused and will thereby violate the rule of law
based on equal and just decisions.

Page : 76 , Block Name : Exercise

Q2 Now take the same situation but ask one student who is a supporter of the Fiesta Club to
perform all the functions listed above. Do you think the victims would get justice if only one
person performed all of the functions of the criminal justice system? Why not?

Page : 76 , Block Name : Exercise

Q3 State two reasons why you believe that different persons need to play different roles as part of
the criminal justice system.

Page : 76 , Block Name : Exercise