Question

---------------- defined crime as "a violation of public rights and duties due to the whole community considered as community."

• A. Blackstone
• B. Justice Bhagwati
• C. V.R.Krishna Iyer
• D. Lord Heward

Hint:

For jurisprudence, associate key thinkers with their core ideas or definitions. Blackstone's definition of crime as a 'public wrong' is fundamental to understanding the distinction between criminal law and civil law (torts).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks to identify the jurist who provided a classic definition of crime from a public law perspective, emphasizing that crime is a wrong against the community as a whole, not just an individual.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The definition "a violation of public rights and duties due to the whole community considered as community" is famously attributed to Sir William Blackstone, the 18th-century English jurist.
In his seminal work, "Commentaries on the Laws of England," Blackstone distinguished between private wrongs (torts) and public wrongs (crimes). He defined crime as "an act committed, or omitted, in violation of a public law, either forbidding or commanding it." He further explained that criminal wrongs are a breach and violation of public rights and duties, which affect the whole community.
This definition highlights the essential nature of crime as a public wrong, which is why the state, and not the private individual, prosecutes the offender.
The other individuals listed are renowned judges but are not the originators of this foundational definition of crime.