The Criminal Law course introduces students to the general principles of criminal law and to the social, political and moral context in which they have developed. The course concentrates on fatal and non-fatal offences against the person and offences against property as well as the range of defences that may be available on a criminal charge. The course also will devote time to questions of reforms particularly with regard to Hudud Laws. The course considers the basic scheme of substantive criminal law together with criminal liability and the significance of act, intent, causation, and result; justification and excuse; and the rationale of punishment. The course will generally include all provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860.

Recommended Reading:

1. Card, Richard. Card, Cross and Jones Criminal Law, 18th edn. New York: OUP, 2008.

2. Mahmood, Shaukat and Shaukat, Nadeem. The Pakistan Penal Code, 1860: Exhaustive Commentary Incorporating Case-law of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, India, UK on Pakistan Penal Code. 9th re edn. Lahore: Legal Research Centre, 2008.

3. Nyazee, Imran Ahsan. General Principles of Criminal Law: Islamic and Western. Islamabad: Advance Legal Studies Institute, 1998.

4. Ormerod, David. Smith and Hogan Criminal Law, 13th edn. New York: OUP, 2011.

5. Thakkar, Justice C.K. et al. Ratanlal Dhirajlal’s Law of Crimes, 26th edn. New Delhi: Law House, 2007.

6. The Text of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 (As amended)