Former CJI UU Lalit Raises Alarm Over Absence of Clear Guidelines for Community Service Under BNS 2023

Former Chief Justice of India UU Lalit has voiced concern over the absence of judicial guidelines for prescribing community service as a punishment under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

During a lecture on “BNS 2023 and IPC 1860: Continuity, Change and Challenges,” he illustrated this lacuna using Section 356(2) (defamation), which allows for imprisonment, fine, or community service.

He pointed out that there is no clarity on how long or what tasks should constitute such service, urging the legislature to step in rather than leaving it to individual judges’ discretion.