Short essay on Murder for Self Defence

Murder for self defence is a term that is colloquially known by most of the people but is comprehended by very few of them. The law provides the liberty of defending one’s life and property from any external force that could be fatal in nature or capable of causing great bodily harm to the individual. However the definition and interpretation of this law of self defence is not that simple. The law states that in act of defending oneself the use of ‘reasonable force’ is justified, beyond which the defence does not stand.

‘Reasonable force’ is quite an intricate word and lot depends upon the interpretation of the same. Whenever one uses a physical force hard enough to kill the other person, he has to justify his actions even if that was done as an act of self defence. There is no legal cover for any kind of murderous act even if done in self defence. A person will have to defend his actions and reasons behind the situation. He will have to prove his ‘not-guilty’ appeal in front of law authorities.

According to legal statement, murdering the opponent is justified only in extreme cases. One should try to avoid building up such situation by other methods. The first one is ‘retreat from the situation’. The heated argument between the two persons or parties if resulted in violence, it never stands a chance for getting relief under ‘murder in self defence’ clause. Since, the accused had always an option to hold back and could have avoided the whole situation. On the other hand, the person will be charged with ‘culpable homicide not amounting to murder’. The other aspect is the extent of force with which one responds. Killing an unarmed person with a gunshot or any other deadly weapon is not justified.

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Collectively speaking, the murder in self defence is one of the ‘possible acts of retaliation’ defined in law and provides one the immunity and liberty to do so in times of real danger. But law also expects that it is used as the last resort. The accused will be required to prove his grounds that he had resorted to all possible ways and took the step only when he sensed the grave danger to his life or physical well being. It also does not mean that one has to wait and let the opponent attack him with a deadlier move. In that case, verbal intimidation and other gestures made by the opponent are meant as the factors that could have resulted in serious attack or physical assault of the victim. And provide him the cover to defend his life in best possible manner.

The law does provide the safety rule but with also expects the highest levels of patience and responsibility from the citizens. Everyone has the fundamental right to protect his life and his property but an equal responsibility of honouring others’ life and property too. Everyone is accountable for his actions and is bound to prove his motives and respondent behaviour in court of law. In nut shell, murder for self defence is an extreme situation and is analysed intricately by the law authorities.