4 Nulla Poena Sine Lege (No Punishment without Law)

The twin of nullum crimen, directed at the sentence: no punishment may be imposed except of the kind and within the limits the law prescribed at the time of the offence — no court may invent punishments, exceed statutory maxima, or substitute sanctions (the Code's sentencing scales are therefore jurisdictional limits, not guidance). Together the two maxims compose the principle oflegality; their joint constitutional text is Article 20(4)'s second limb (no greater punishment than prescribed then). Note the modern refinement: lex mitior — where the law changes between offence and trial, the lighter law applies (a beneficial exception to non-retroactivity; the theme of the Uttam Lama case — Section 7).