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International humanitarian law in ancient India: a multicivilisational perspective

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Indian Journal of International Law

Abstract

The present paper emphasises on the application of a multicivilisational perspective to international humanitarian law (IHL) for a proper dissemination of its core principles. The terms used in IHL may not be comprehensible to the civilian population. Disseminating IHL to the civilians by linking IHL principles to the civilisational values and ideas would legitimise the discipline and help in its percolation in society. The present paper culls out some of the IHL principles from the ancient texts of India, thus applying the multicivilisational perspective to IHL.

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Notes

  1. Knut Dӧrmann, Dissemination and Monitoring Compliance of International Humanitarian Law, in Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg & Volker Epping (eds) International Humanitarian Law Facing New Challenges: Symposium in Honour of Knut Ipsen (Springer, Berlin, 2007) 227.

  2. Ibid, 231.

  3. Ingrid Detter, The Law of War, 3rd edn (Ashgate, Surrey, 2013) 426.

  4. M. Sornarajah, An Overview of the Asian Approaches to International Humanitarian Law, 9 Asian Yrbk Intl L (1980) 238, 244.

  5. Randall Lesaffer, The Grotian Tradition Revisited: Change and Continuity in the History of International Law, 73(1) British Yrbk Intl Aff (2002)103, 103.

  6. Dissenting Opinion of Judge Weeramantry, Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, Advisory Opinion, [1996] ICJ Rep. 482.

  7. Ibid.

  8. Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order, 1st edn (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1996).

  9. Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, Talking Back: The Idea of Civilization in the India Nationalist Discourse, 1st edn (Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2011).

  10. Especially with regard to boundaries drawn by the colonisers e.g. between India and Pakistan. For further discussion on these aspects see Tim Marshall, Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps that Tell You Everything you need to know about World Politics, 1st edn (Elliot and Thompson, Scribner, 2015).

  11. Wittgenstein compares various games like board games, Olympic games, ball games, etc. and draws similarities between them. He states, "And the result of this examination is: we see a complicated network of similarities overlapping and criss-crossing: sometimes overall similarities, sometimes similarities of detail. I can think of no better expression to characterize these similarities than "family resemblances"; for the various resemblances between members of a family: build, features, colour of eyes, gait, temperament, etc. etc. overlap and criss-cross in the same way." Although he used the concept of family resemblance in linguistics, it has been borrowed by other disciplines. Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, Translated by G.E.M. Anscombe, 1st edn (Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1986) 31–32.

  12. Supra note 3 at 16.

  13. Ibid.

  14. Nagendra Singh, Nuclear Weapons and International Law, 1st edn (Stevens and Sons Ltd., London, 1959) 20.

  15. Romila Thapar, Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to A.D. 1300, 1st edn (Penguin Books, New Delhi, 2002) 84.

  16. Stephen C. Neff, War and the Law of Nations: A General History, 1st edn (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2005) 14.

  17. Benoy Kumar Sarkar, Sukraniti, 1st edn (Orient Books Reprint Corporation, New Delhi, 1975) 7.220.

  18. Hiralal Chatterjee, International Law and Inter-State Relations in Ancient India, 1st edn (Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay, Calcutta, 1958) 70.

  19. Pramathanath Bandopadhyay, International Law and Custom in Ancient India, 1st edn (Calcutta University Press, Calcutta 1920) 106.

  20. V.R. Ramachandra Dikshitar, War in Ancient India, 1st edn. (Macmillan and Co. Ltd., Madras, 1944) 27.

  21. Torkel Brekke (ed.) The Ethics of War in Asian Civilizations: A Comparative Perspective (Routledge, New York, 2006) 116.

  22. Ibid, 120.

  23. David J Bederman, International Law in Antiquity 1st edn (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001) 208.

  24. Brahmins, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras.

  25. H.S. Bhatia (ed.), International Law and Practice in Ancient India, 1st edn (Deep and Deep Publications, New Delhi, 1977) 89.

  26. B. C. Nirmal, International Humanitarian Law in Ancient India, in V.S. Mani (ed.) Handbook of International Humanitarian Law in South Asia, 1st edn (Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2007) 37.

  27. K.R.R. Sastry, Hinduism and International Law, 117 Recueil des cours (1966) 552, 571.

  28. Torkel Brekke, The Ethics of War and the Concept of War in India and Europe, 52 Religion & Violence (2005) 59, 72.

  29. Supra note 14 at 18.

  30. C.V. Wigneswaran, Hinduism and International Humanitarian Law, 15 Sri Lanka J Intl L (2003) 17, 17.

  31. Duncan J. Derrett, The Maintenance of Peace in the Hindu World: Practice and Theory, 7 Indian Yrbk Intl Aff (1958) 361.

  32. C.G. Weeramantry, Buddhism and Humanitarian Law, in V.S. Mani (ed.) Handbook of International Humanitarian Law in South Asia (Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2007) 7.

  33. Ibid, 6.

  34. C.J. Chacko, International Law in India II, 2 Indian J Intl L (1962) 48, 56.

  35. Supra note 31 at 370.

  36. S. V. Viswanatha, International Law in Ancient India, 1st edn (Longmans, Green & Co., Bombay, 1925)109.

  37. This is a very disputed topic of Indian history and denials as to the arrival of Aryans is prominent in many available literature.

  38. R.P. Anand, New States and International Law, 2nd edn (Hope India Publications, Delhi, 2008) 11.

  39. Supra note 10 at 88.

  40. Michael N. Schmitt, Asymmetrical Warfare and International Humanitarian Law, in Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg & Volker Epping (eds), International Humanitarian Law Facing New Challenges: Symposium in Honour of Knut Ipsen (Springer, Berlin, 2007) 27.

  41. Surya P. Subedi, The Concept in Hinduism of ‘Just War’, 8(2) J Conflict & Security L (2003) 339, 357.

  42. Supra note 3 at 63.

  43. G.U. Pope, Tiruvalluvar, Tirukkural 1st edn (W.H. Allen and Co., London, 1886) 58, verse 471.

  44. Supra note 40 at 11.

  45. Ibid, 21.

  46. Nagendra Singh, India and International Law, Vol. I (S. Chand & Co. (Pvt.) Ltd., New Delhi, 1973) 61.

  47. Supra note 21 at 119.

  48. Supra note 36 at 111.

  49. R. Shamasastry, Kautilya’s Arthasāstra, 1st edn (Mysore Publishers, Mysore, 1915), Book X.

  50. Supra note 18 at 74.

  51. Supra note 46 at 71.

  52. Supra note 25 at 100.

  53. Supra note 19 at 136.

  54. Supra note 49, Book II, Chapter XXXIII.

  55. Supra note 25 at 162.

  56. Mark McClish and Patrick Olivelle (eds.), The Arthaśāstra: Selections from the Classic Indian Work on Statecraft, 1st edn (Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., Indiananpolis, 2012) p. xiv.

  57. Supra note 36 at 128.

  58. As mentioned before, this is a very complex debate in the discipline of Indian history. In the background of this paper, it is not much relevant because the purpose is to trace the principles of IHL in ancient India.

  59. Nagendra Singh, Juristic Concepts of Ancient Indian Polity, 1st edn (Vision Books, New Delhi, 1980) 75.

  60. Supra note 25 at 86-87.

  61. Supra note 36 at 168

  62. Ibid, 109.

  63. Supra note 43 at 58, verse 473.

  64. Manoj Kumar Sinha, Hinduism and International Humanitarian Law, 87(858) Intl Rev Red Cross (2005) 285, 288.

  65. Supra note 36 at 128.

  66. Mahadev Chimanaji Apte, Kamandakiya Nitisara (Anandashram Sanstha, Pune, 1982), 17.2-317.2-3.

  67. Supra note 41 at 353.

  68. Wolfgang Dietrich, Interpretations of Peace in History and Culture, 1st edn (Palgrave Macmillan, New York 2012) 51.

  69. Supra note 21 at 128.

  70. Supra note 66 at ix, 61.

  71. Supra note 36 at 108.

  72. G Bühler, Manusmriti (The Laws of Manu), (Motilal Banarasidas, Delhi, 1973) Chapter VII, 198.

  73. Supra note 18 at 85.

  74. Supra note 41 at 348.

  75. Supra note 18 at 98.

  76. Supra note 49 at 370.

  77. Supra note 46 at 61.

  78. Supra note 23 at 248.

  79. Supra note 68 at 51.

  80. Weeramantry as quoted in Noel Dias & Roger Gamble, Buddhism and its relationship with international law, Law & Justice: The Christian L Rev (2010) 3, 15

  81. A.T. Ariyaratne, Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law, 15 Sri Lanka J Intl L (2003) 11, 14.

  82. Supra note 80 at 21.

  83. Ibid, 17.

  84. Supra note 46 at 18.

  85. V.S. Mani, An Indian Perspective on the Evolution of International Law on the Threshold of the Third Millennium, 9 Asian Yrbk Intl L (2000) 31, 61.

  86. See also, Nick Allen, Just War in the Mahabharata in Richard Sorabji & David Rodin (eds), The Ethics of War: Shared Problems in Different Traditions, (Ashgate, Burlington, 2006).

  87. Supra note 28 at 119.

  88. Aalok Sikand, ADR Dharma: Seeking a Hindu Perspective on Dispute Resolution from the Holy Scriptures of the Mahabharata and the Bhagvad Gita, 7(2) Pepperdine Dispute Res. L J (2007) 323, 371.

  89. L.R. Penna, Traditional Asian Approaches: An Indian View, Australian Yrbk Intl L (1980) 168, 191.

  90. Supra note 36 at 112.

  91. Silent war applied diplomatic tactics to subjugate officers and army of the enemy.

  92. Supra note 64 at 288.

  93. Supra note 18 at 117.

  94. Supra note 89 at 236.

  95. Supra note 41 at 346.

  96. Ibid, 356.

  97. Supra note 19 at 375.

  98. Supra note 25 at 99.

  99. Ibid.

  100. Supra note 17 at 60.

  101. Supra note 28 at 136.

  102. J.W. McCrindle as quoted in Supra note 89 at 186.

  103. Supra note 36 at 155.

  104. Supra note 18 at 81.

  105. Supra note 85 at 62.

  106. Supra note 49.

  107. Supra note 18 at 80.

  108. Ibid 90.

  109. Vrddha Harita as quoted by P.V. Kane, History of Dharmasatras, 1st edn (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona, 1958) 210.

  110. Supra note 25 at 100.

  111. Supra note 28 at 118.

  112. In modern international law, Rape has been held to be an act of genocide in Akayesu case decided by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda; The Prosecutor v. Jean-Paul Akayesu (Appeal Judgment), [2001] ICTR 96-4-T.

  113. Supra note 18 at 91.

  114. Supra note 17 at Chapter VII: 91.

  115. Ibid, Chapter VII: 92.

  116. Ibid, Chapter VII: 92.

  117. Article 41 of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed conflicts (Protocol I): Safeguard of an enemy hors de combat

    1. A person who is recognized or who, in the circumstances, should be recognized to be ‘hors de combat’ shall not be made the object of attack.

    2. A person is ‘hors de combat’ if:

    (a) He is in the power of an adverse party;

    (b) He clearly expresses an intention to surrender; or

    (c) He has been rendered unconscious or is otherwise incapacitated by wounds or sickness, and therefore is incapable of defending himself; provided that in any of these cases he abstains from any hostile act and does not attempt to escape.

    3. When persons entitled to protection as prisoners of war have fallen into the power of an adverse Party under unusual conditions of combat which prevent their evacuation as provided for in Part III, Section I, of the Third Convention, they shall be released and all feasible precautions shall be taken to ensure their safety.

  118. J.M. Henckaerts, List of Customary Rules of International Humanitarian Law, Study on Customary International Humanitarian Law, <http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/other/customary-law-rules.pdf> accessed 22 September 2014.

  119. Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed conflicts

  120. Article 48 of the Additional Protocol I: “In order to ensure respect for and protection of the civilian population and civilian objects, the Parties to the conflict shall at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives and accordingly shall direct their operations only against military objectives.

  121. Article 51(1) of the Additional Protocol I: The civilian population and individual civilians shall enjoy general protection against dangers arising from military operations.

  122. Kisari Mohan Ganguli, Mahābharata, 1st edn (Pratap Chandra Roy, Calcutta 1896), Vana Parva, Ch. 111.

  123. Supra note 25 at 106.

  124. Supra note 49 at Chapter 5, Book XIII.

  125. Supra note 25 at 15.

  126. Supra note 49 at Chapter 3, Book X.

  127. Supra note 122 at 96.

  128. Supra note 19 at 7.

  129. Supra note 25 at 66.

  130. Supra note 18 at 68.

  131. Article 34 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilians in Time of War, 1949 states: “The taking of hostages is prohibited”.

  132. W.S. Armour, Customs of Warfare in Ancient India, Transactions of Grotius Society: Problems of Peace and War (1922) 8, 73.

  133. Supra note 72 at Chapter VII, 90.

  134. Supra note 6 at 478.

  135. Supra note 19 at 90.

  136. Supra note 41 at 354.

  137. Supra note 46 at 71.

  138. Ibid 75.

  139. P.V. Kane, History of Dharmasatras, (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona, 1958) 211.

  140. Supra note 19 at 118.

  141. Article 24 of the Convention (I) for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field states: Medical personnel exclusively engaged in the search for, or the collection, transport or treatment of the wounded or sick, or in the prevention of disease, staff exclusively engaged in the administration of medical units and establishments, as well as chaplains attached to the armed forces, shall be respected and protected in all circumstances.

  142. Supra note 72 at 196.

  143. Supra note 36 at 136.

  144. Article 55 of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions, 1949 states that:

    1. Care shall be taken in warfare to protect natural environment against widespread, long-term and severe damage This protection includes a prohibition of the use of methods or means of warfare which are intended or may be expected to cause such damage to the natural environment and thereby to prejudice the health or survival of the population.

    2. Attacks against the natural environment by way of reprisals are prohibited.

  145. Apastamba Dharmasutra, 2.10-2.12 as cited by Supra note 89 at 198.

  146. Burjor Avari, India: The Ancient Past, 1st edn. (Routledge, New York, 2007) 65.

  147. Supra note 36 at 169.

  148. Supra note 49, Book VII.

  149. Supra note 122 at Section 95.

  150. Supra note 17 at iv. 7.

  151. Supra note 36 at 47.

  152. Supra note 49 at Chapter 16, Book VII.

  153. Supra note 72 at Chapter VII, Verse 201.

  154. Ibid Chapter VII, Verse 203.

  155. ‘All men are as my children; as, on behalf of my own children, I desire that they may be provided with complete welfare and happiness both in his world and the next, the same I desire also for all men.’

  156. Supra note 122 at Shantiparva 97.

  157. Ibid, Shantiparva 100.273.

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    Amritha V. Shenoy

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Shenoy, A.V. International humanitarian law in ancient India: a multicivilisational perspective. Indian Journal of International Law 58, 425–451 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40901-019-00102-y

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