Protection Against Punishment
Article 20 provides protections against unfair punishment:
- No retroactive punishment: A person can't be convicted or given a harsher punishment for something that was not against the law when they did it.
- No double punishment: A person can't be punished more than once for the same crime.
- No forced self-incrimination: A person accused of a crime can't be forced to testify against themselves.
- Retroactive laws: Laws that punish past actions or increase penalties for them are not allowed under Article 20 for criminal laws. However, it is allowed in civil and tax laws.
- Protection against double punishment only applies in court or judicial proceedings, not administrative or departmental ones.
- The protections do not cover preventive detention or security demands from a person.