FOREWORD The life, liberty, and dignity of a person lie at the core of human rights. The preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights foretold that “it is essential if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law.” Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads that “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.” The Constitution of India contains within it provisions guaranteeing the rights of the accused. Article 14 guarantees both equality before the law and equal protection of the laws, whereas Article 21 lays down that “no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.” The Supreme Court has enlarged the ambit of fundamental rights. Our Constitution is embodiment of the human rights. The judicial officers, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, advocates, and litigants are all involved in the process of the criminal justice system. Some changes have taken place in the IPC and CrPC since the first edition of the book was published in 2007, and with time it was considered necessary that a new updated version was the need of the hour. The central idea of the current compilation is to instill a human rights dimension in the understanding and the application of the various statutory measures deployed by the different criminal justice functionaries. The second edition of the book is an outcome of the hard work of Shri Ambuj Sharma, Former Secretary General and Special Monitor, NHRC. I also appreciate the sincere efforts made by Shri Bimbadhar Pradhan, lAS, Secretary General, NHRC, in providing valuable inputs for shaping this book. (iii)