Crime and punishments are inseparable, a cause and effect; one devoid of the other is incongruous and noxious. Sentencing, as observed by Justice Krishna Iyer is a means to an end,
a psycho-physical panacea to cure the accused of socially reprehensible behavior that caused the crime. Through such punishments, people are warned that they put their own rights on the line if they infringe on those of others through harmful conduct. Common among civilized societies is a consolidation of crimes and concretization of their resultant punishments as some form of a codex. In India, the Indian Penal Code (hereinafter “the IPC”) serves this larger purpose, containing a curious amalgamation of rules on sentencing -- ranging from mandatory minimum to maximum punishments, or discretionary fines.