Sutra 18

Devanagari script

सर्वत्र प्रथमेऽपराधे प्रथमः द्वितीये द्विगुणः तृतीये त्रिगुणः चतुर्थे यथाकामी स्यात् ॥ कZ_०२.२७.१८ ॥

Transliteration

sarvatra prathame'parādhe prathamaḥ dvitīye dviguṇaḥ tṛtīye triguṇaḥ caturthe yathākāmī syāt

Translation

Everywhere, for a first offence the first-grade penalty applies; for the second, it is doubled; for the third, tripled; for the fourth, punishment may be imposed at discretion as deemed fit.

Word by Word

सर्वत्रeverywhere; in all cases

प्रथमेin the first (instance/offence)

अपराधेin an offence; in the case of an offence

प्रथमःthe first (penalty)

द्वितीयेin the second (instance/offence)

द्विगुणःdouble (in amount); twofold

तृतीयेin the third (instance/offence)

त्रिगुणःtriple; threefold

चतुर्थेin the fourth (instance/offence)

यथाकामीas he wishes; at discretion

स्यात्should be; may be

Entities Mentioned

offender

judge/administrator (implied)

FAQs

What governance principle is embodied in 2.27.18?

A standardized escalation ladder for repeat offences—predictable multipliers first, then discretionary severity—balancing rule-based sentencing with administrative flexibility.