Under the Hindu legal system, trial by ordeal was used to determine guilt or innocence when there was no evidence or witnesses. Various methods of ordeal were used as punishment including combat, fire, hot or cold water, poison, rice grains, balance, and lots. The ordeals put the accused's life in danger and were not based on evidence or morality. They humiliated and tortured people without accountability. While the system aimed to establish justice, it ignored humanitarian elements and often discriminated based on caste.

1. Presentation
on
Trial by Ordeal
Under
Hindu Legal System

2. Introduction to Trial by Ordeal
 Punishment given on the basis of one’s lot.
 The then Judicial system
 Visual discrimination on Caste System.
 If no evidence or witness found for either side then it was given

3. Trial by Ordeal- The Punishment Theory:
1) By Combat:
Ordeal by combat took place between two people in a dispute. The guilty or
liable dependent on the battlefield.

4. 2) By fire:
Ordeal of fire typically required that the accused have to walk a
certain distance, usually 9 feet over red hot plough shares or
holding red-hot iron.

5. Trial by Ordeal- The Punishment Theory:
3) By Water:
3.1) By Hot Water: The ordeal of hot water was required the accused to dip his
hand in a kettle of boiling water and retrieve a stone.
3.2) By Cold Water: A man accused of poaching was to be submerged in a barrel
three times and to be considered if he sank, and guilty if he floated.
4) By Poison:
A defendant who vomited up the bean was innocent.

6. Trial by Ordeal- The Punishment Theory:
5) By Rice-Grain:
The accused was required to chew unhusked rice and then asked to spit out. If
blood appeared in his/her mouth, he/she is considered to be guilty. Otherwise not.
6) By Lot:
Two lots of the same type representing Right and Wrong were placed in a jar.
7) By Balance:
The accused was made to sit in a balance and weighted.

7. Trial by Ordeal-Death Theory of Punishment
 Sometimes while the examination stayed the lives of the accused were in great danger.
 No protest allowed.
 No question can be raised.
 Torturing to them who were accused, but not guilty.
 No transparency.
 No explanation/ No accountabilities.
 People got afraid and quietly agreed with the system.

8. The Then Theory and todays aspects:
 Humiliation and torture
 No liability
 Discrimination on caste system
 Humanitarian elements and moral study was ignored.

9. Concluding Remark About the Topic
 This method involved having the accused to do something dangerous or even life-threatening.
 Trial by Ordeal theory was not determined on the basic structure of moral based legal system.
 No influence/ impact for fare justice and establishment of justice.
 Disregards the moral elements

10. Any Questions?

11. Thank You