Law And Legal Institution in Ancient India (During Gupta Period)

Abstract

The king was considered to be the “incarnation of justice.” He administered justice. There was also a high official at the capital for justice and the Supreme Court which tried important local cases and entertained appeals against the decisions of the lower courts. In certain cases, the village assembly alone sat for judgment and passed sentences. Capital punishment was unknown, mutation was the highest punishment for repeated rebellions. The laws were few and mild, and most of the crimes were punished only by fines. The people were virtuous, rich, and prosperous; the cities were crowded. People do have not to register their households or attend to any magistrates and their rules. Justice was often administered by the sovereign himself or a high official at the center or in the provinces. Judges at the headquarters of a district had apparently the assistance of the chief Seth’s and Kayast has of the locality, representatives of the commercial and official classes. In the Gupta age, there were five kinds of courts- village councils (kulas), corporations (semis), the jeans, a person appointed by the king, and the king himself.