Skip to main Communities My dashboard Log in Sign up Published April 15, 2026 | Version Online Journal article Open The Theocratic Foundations of Penal Policy in Saudi Arabia: Law, Religion and Punishment in Contemporary Perspective Authors/Creators Sudip Halder Dr. Babita Baeraiya Description The penal policy of Saudi Arabia is amongst the most unique examples of a theocratic criminal justice system prevailing in the present day. As the system is based on Islamic Sharia, it vests the power of making criminal laws upon God and not the legislature, thereby creating a new perspective for understanding law, morals, and punishment. This paper seeks to critically analyse the Saudi penal policy through doctrinal, comparative, and critical analysis of its theology, laws, jurisprudence and reforms. By interacting with classical Islamic scholars and Western legal scholars as well as analysing the case study of Raif Badawi's prosecution, the paper examines whether Saudi Arabia is moving towards legal rationality or not. The comparison of Saudi laws with the laws of India, especially the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with analysis under international human rights law, will be performed to see if there is anything that can prove that Saudi laws have become less severe, discretionary, and theological. Files IJCRM202652188.pdf Files (368.7 kB) Name Size Download all IJCRM202652188.pdf md5:16c806b2e927fca238142291ff20bf3d 368.7 kB Preview Download 54 Views 44 Downloads Show more details All versions This version Views Total views 54 54 Downloads Total downloads 44 44 Data volume Total data volume 17.3 MB 17.3 MB More info on how stats are collected.... Versions External resources Indexed in OpenAIRE Communities Keywords and subjects Keywords Theocratic Penal System, Islamic Sharia Law, Hudud and Qisas, Judicial Discretion in Saudi Arabia, Comparative Criminal Justice (India vs Saudi Arabia) Details DOI DOI Badge DOI 10.5281/zenodo.19588863 Markdown [](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19588863) reStructuredText .. image:: https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19588863.svg :target: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19588863 HTML <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19588863"><img src="https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19588863.svg" alt="DOI"></a> Image URL https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19588863.svg Target URL https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19588863 Resource type Journal article Publisher International Journal of Contemporary Research in Multidisciplinary Published in International Journal of Contemporary Research in Multidisciplinary, 5(2), 631-634, ISSN: 2583-7397, 2026. Languages English Rights License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International The Creative Commons Attribution license allows re-distribution and re-use of a licensed work on the condition that the creator is appropriately credited. Read more Citation Export Technical metadata Created April 15, 2026 Modified April 15, 2026 Jump up About About Policies Infrastructure Principles Projects Roadmap Contact Blog Blog Support Help FAQ Developers REST API OAI-PMH Contribute GitHub Donate Funded by Powered by CERN Data Centre & InvenioRDM Status Privacy policy Cookie policy Terms of Use This site uses cookies. Find out more on how we use cookies Accept all cookies Accept only essential cookies