NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics Chapter 6 – Understanding our Criminal Justice System (Social Science), contains solutions to various questions in Exercise for Chapter 6. At the end of the Solutions, all the keywords and Notes which are important to understand Chapter 6 Understanding our Criminal Justice System Class 8 Civics, have been explained in a simple and easy to understand manner. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science help to check the concept you have learnt from detailed classroom sessions and application of your knowledge.
| Category | NCERT Solutions for Class 8 |
| Subject | Civics (Social Science) |
| Chapter | Chapter 6 – Understanding our Criminal Justice System |
Download NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics Chapter 6 – Understanding our Criminal Justice System
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics Chapter 6 – Understanding our Criminal Justice System – NCERT Exercises
Question 1:-
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:
1. Police 2. Public Prosecutor 3. Defence lawyer 4. 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?
| Roles | Functions |
| Police | hear the witnesses,
record the statements of witnesses, |
| Public Prosecutor | |
| Defense Lawyer | cross examine the witnesses, |
| Judge | |
| take photographs of burnt homes, | |
| record the evidence, | |
| arrest the Fiesta fans, | |
| writes the judgment, | |
| argue the case for the victims, | |
| decide the number of years for which the accused will be put in jail, | |
| examine the witnesses in court, | |
| pass the judgment, | |
| get the assaulted women medically examined, | |
| conduct a fair trial, | |
| meet the accused persons |
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 1:-
| Role | Functions |
| Police | Records the statements of witnesses
Takes photographs of burnt homes Arrests the Fiesta fans Gets the assaulted women medically examined |
| Public Prosecutor | Cross examines the witnesses
Argues the case for the victims |
| Defence Lawyer | Meets the accused persons
Examines the witnesses in court |
| Judge | Hears the witnesses
Records the evidence Writes the judgment Decides for how many years the accused will be put in jail Passes the judgment Conducts a fair trial |
No, the victims would not get justice if only one person performed all the tasks. It would over-burden a single person and he would have absolute authority to decide upon the case as no one would check the genuineness of his investigation the system of checks and balances would be disrupted.
Different people need to play different roles as a part of the criminal justice system for the following reasons:
- To ensure that all tasks such as collection of evidences, cross examination, recording the statements of witnesses etc. are done efficiently with great expertise and a separation of powers is maintained.
- To ensure that all sides are represented impartially and that the final decision is unbiased and on the basis of all the evidence collected. Only then would the trial be fair.
Other Questions from the Chapter 6 :- Understanding our Criminal Justice System
Question 1:-
Why do you think there is a rule that confessions made during police custody cannot be used as evidence against the accused?
Answer 1:-
It is possible that a person might confess of having committed a crime even when he/she is innocent to save himself/herself from police torture and beatings. False confessions as has been in the historyare often made out of fear or pressure. The police or the victims can make the accused confess whatever they want by using money or muscle power as there is no one to validate the confessions made in the custody. This can cause an innocent person to suffer while the actual criminal might escape. Thus, to prevent such a situation and to ensure equality of justice, confessions made during custody cannot be used as evidence.
Question 2:-
What did the judge say in Shanti’s case after hearing the testimony of all the witnesses?
Answer 2:-
After hearing the testimony of all the witnesses, the judge acquitted Shanti of the charge of theft. He said that the police would return her the money they had been sealed for investigation purposes and he also made a note of how the sub-inspector had conducted a hasty investigation.
Topics Covered in Understanding our Criminal Justice System Chapter 6 Civics (Social Science)
- What is the Role of the Public Prosecutor?
- What is the Role of the Judge?
- What is a Fair Trial?
Important Terms Relevant for NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics Chapter 6 – Understanding our Criminal Justice System :
Accused: A person who is on trial for a crime.
Cognizable: Those offences in which the police can arrest the person without a warrant
Cross-examination: The questioning of a witness brought by the opposite side.
Detention: The act of keeping someone in custody illegally.
Impartial: Unbiased and fair.
Offence: An act that is a crime as per the law.
To be charged of a crime: It refers to informing the accused of the offence for which he/she will face trial.
Witness: A person who was present at the time when the crime was being committed.
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics
- Chapter 1 – The Indian Constitution
- Chapter 2 – Understanding Secularism
- Chapter 3 – Why do we need a Parliament?
- Chapter 4 – Understanding Laws
- Chapter 5 – Judiciary
- Chapter 6 – Understanding our Criminal Justice System
- Chapter 7 – Understanding Marginalisation
- Chapter 8 – Confronting Marginalisation
- Chapter 9 – Public Facilities
- Chapter 10 – Law and Social Justice