Protection of the Government Departments

Protection of the Government Departments

Protection of the Government Departments mainly includes the checks and restrictions posed on the various government departments as well as on those other than government officials who are caught in illegal activities. Chapter IX of Book IV in Arthashastra marks a number of situations in which the state shall be authorised to impose punishment.

Protection of the Government Departments, as mentioned in chapter IX of Book IV in Arthashastra, authorises the commissioners who are appointed by the collector general to first check the proceedings of the superintendents and their subordinates. If anyone is found to seize any valuable articles as well as precious stones from either the government treasury or from the mines or from any great manufacturers, shall be beheaded; while those stealing articles of necessities of life from the small manufacturers shall be punished in the first amercement; while those stealing from the King's granary shall be fined with different levels of panas as mentioned in the Arthashastra. As such if anyone seizes from the courtyard, shops, and or arsenal commodities such as raw materials, manufactured articles, etc of half the value, shall be punished; when any person seizes any articles of 1/4th of the value from the government treasury, granaries, or office of the superintendent shall be punished with twice the above fines. The chapter mainly intends to put check on the misappropriation of the resources of the state.

Protection of the Government Departments claims that any person other than the governmental official is found stealing from the fields, yards for threshing out grains, houses, or shop commodities such as raw materials, manufactured articles or necessities of life for 1/4th to 1/6th of a pana in value, shall be fined for three panas. Arthashastra at the same time lays down that any person who uses force to seize some articles shall be punished with double the fine; when any person seizes by force with weapons in hand shall be fined in the same manner; when a master of a household, or a superintendent or an independent officer issues or makes use of un authorised seals, he shall be punished with first ,middlemost or highest amercement or may be even condemned to death or may be punished in any other way depending upon the gravity of his crime. When the judges threatens, browbeats, sends out, or unjust silence to any of the disputants, he shall be initially punished with first amercement; in case of abusing others or defaming others, his punishment shall be double. In case the judge does not look into any important issue which needs immediate enquiry, then he shall be found neglecting the gravity of the issue which will lead him to severe punishment. Arthashastra lays down certain functions of the judge and any negligence in these functioning shall amount to punishment.

Protection of the Government Departments then claims in case of the clerks that whoever does not take down whatever has been deposed by the party or what has not been deposed by the parties, evades what has been badly said or renders diverse or ambiguous in meaning such depositions as are satisfactorily given out, shall be punished in the first amercement. In case of imposing fines again the judge who imposes wrong fines on gold or imposes unjust corporeal punishment, or when the judge falsifies whatever is true and declares true whatever is false, shall be punished within three levels of amercements.

Protection of the Government Departments, then specifies in case of the superintendent of jails that if any person is put in the lock up without specifying the cause of his provocation , shall impose 24 panas on the superintendent. It specifies in case any officer of the jail commits rape with any of the Aryan women then he shall be put to death.

Thus with the protection of Government departments the King has been equipped ton firstly assess and judge the conduct of his own officers and then the conduct of the officers of lower rank in dealing with the common man and then with the help of his own officers check the conduct of the officers in the villages and in towns.

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