What Is Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'Crime And Punishment': Cited During Relief To Jaish Operatives By Delhi HC?

A Delhi High Court bench led by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait cited Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment' while reducing the sentence of five Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operatives from life imprisonment to 10 ten years in jail.

The Delhi High Court reduced the life sentence of alleged highly-radicalized "over ground workers" of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) to ten years on Monday in a case investigated by the NIA under anti-terror laws. A bench led by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait observed that the five appellants, who had pleaded guilty before the trial court, allegedly conspired to commit terrorist acts in India, but no evidence was found against them that they actually committed any such act. The Bench cited Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

What Delhi HC Bench Said Citing Dostoevsky’s Novel?

"The man with a conscience suffers while admitting his sin. We quote Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the author of 'Crime and Punishment'. In Chapter 19, Dostoevsky writes that 'if he has a conscience, he will suffer for his mistake; that will be punishment as well as prison'," said the bench, which also included Justice Manoj Jain.

"Keeping in mind the gravity of the matter, though the appellants did not deserve any unjustifiable leniency, at the same time, considering their candid confession at the first opportunity, their relatively clean antecedents, inclination for reformation and their young age, the life sentence was not warranted either," the judge stated.

What Is Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'Crime And Punishment' Theory?

Fyodor Dostoevsky's book "Crime and Punishment" delves into the depths of a man named Raskolnikov's mind. A poor former student named Raskolnikov develops the theory that some exceptional people are above the moral laws set by society. According to him, these exceptional people are entitled to commit crimes if is for the common good.

To verify his theory, Raskolnikov chooses to kill Alyona Ivanovna, an elderly pawnbroker whom he considers to be a bad influence on society. But following the crime, Raskolnikov suffers from mental anguish and guilt.

The narrative tracks Raskolnikov's emotional and psychological growth as he finds it difficult to accept the results of his actions. He eventually comes to the realisation that he is not above morality and that he needs love and faith in order to be saved.

His conviction that he is a special person who breaks moral laws for the good of humanity is proven wrong. Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" theory centres on questions of justice, the nature of evil, and the prospect of atonement. It looks into cultural influences and the psychology of people, giving a full analysis of guilt and the moral ramifications of one's deeds.

Who Is Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky?

Fyodor Dostoevsky is a well-known philosopher, essayist, and Russian author. His psychological novel "Crime and Punishment" is one of the most famous works in Russian literature, and it is widely praised around the world.
Dostoevsky's works focus on human psychology in the troubled social, political, and spiritual atmosphere of nineteenth-century Russia. He connects these subjects to philosophy, religion, and Existentialism/Freudianism. His novel Crime and Punishment is centred on the psychological makeup of a man caught up in a web of moral dilemmas.