Atonement for Violating Justice is the last chapter of Book IV, Removal of Thorns, in Arthashastra which was established in order to set the rules for the set rules in order to maintain law and order in the country. As such Atonement for violating Justice is a step taken by Kautilya to alert all the groups of people living in the country about the repercussions to be faced by them in case of any negligence or deliberate violation of justice.
Atonement for Violating Justice mentions that whenever a Brahmin or any person living within the boundaries of the country, deliberately chooses to partake any item of food or drink which has been particularly prohibited, and leads to impurity shall be punished with the highest amercement; those who forces the kshatriyas to do something unlawful shall be punished in middlemost amercement; in case of Vaishyas the punishment shall be first amercement while in case of Sudras he shall have to pay 54 panas. In case of trespassing the chapter claims that he who forces his entrance in another persons house during the day time shall be punished for first amercement while during night shall be within the middle amercement; any person who carries weapons in another`s house shall be punished with the highest amercement. Those who mount on the roof of their own house or persons like the beggars or lunatics who barge inside the house or those who break the fence of the village, gardens or fields shall also be punished with three levels of amercements.
Atonement for Violating Justice, regarding the merchants and their merchandise, mentions that the traders after fixing the rates shall halt in the village for one night and if there is any loss or theft to the merchandise within the village periphery, the headman of the village shall compensate the loss. If any theft or loss takes place within the two places or villages then Superintendent of pasture land shall be responsible for the compensation; if there is no pasture land then officer named Chorarajjuka shall mend the loss and in case there is no livelihood in the area then five to ten villages on both the sides shall be responsible for compensating the loss.
Atonement for Violating Justice further includes that if any deliberate harm is done to the flora and fauna of the area including cutting of trees, or harming with unstable chariots, or by stealing the ropes with which tamed animals are tied or hampering the carts and chariots with stones or mud shall be treated as punishable activity. Whenever a person is hurt by the animals particular by the elephants under provocation shall or is hurt by the animals which have horns shall be punished; also those persons who cause damage to the animals of the royal family or is endowed for the temple and god as well as goddesses shall be punished for punishing the state objects.
Atonement for Violating Justice further includes those who practices witch crafts. Witchcraft has been sanctioned by the state for arousing love in indifferent people particularly couples and was mainly intended to do welfare for the people through supernatural powers but in case the power is misused for harming the people shall be liable to punishment by the state. Moreover, if the witchcraft is practiced for close relatives then it will be treated as punishable offence. Also the chapter enlists a number of punishments for those who enter into illegal sexual intercourse with each other`s wife or such persons.
Thus, it has been mentioned that if the king punishes any innocent he shall have to throw into water dedicating Lord Varuna a fine equal to thirty times of the imposition which shall be later on distributed among the Brahmins. As such Kautilya with this chapter tries to explicitly declare the level of punishment which needs to be recurred in order to maintain law and order in the town.
