B.N.S.

Mischief

Not every act that damages property is a crime. Damage to property becomes a crime when it amounts to the offence of mischief under Section 324 of the B.N.S. The three problems below are solved at the end, after the law is set out.

8 min read 16 Oct 2026

Dacoity

Dacoity, often called gang robbery , is dealt with in Section 310 of the B.N.S. It is one of the few offences that the law punishes at almost every stage: preparation, assembly, attempt, commission and even habitual gang membership. Two problems frame the topic.

7 min read 16 Oct 2026

Theft

Theft is defined in Section 303 of the B.N.S. It is the first section of Chapter 17, which deals with offences against property. These notes cover the definition, the five requirements built into it, the situations in which the taker's mind is innocent (with two leading cases), the punishment under…

16 min read 16 Oct 2026

Homosexuality under the Indian Penal Code

About this topic ▶ Watch this part of the lecture (0:00) This topic traces how Indian criminal law dealt with consensual and non-consensual "unnatural" sexual acts: from Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, through a series of conflicting court decisions, to the present position under the B.N.S. I…

12 min read 16 Oct 2026

Wrongful Restraint and Confinement

A useful puzzle to start with: can a person be wrongfully confined inside a car moving through the city at 60 kilometres an hour, with no locked room, no wall and not even a fixed place? The answer depends on two offences in the B.N.S., 2023:

11 min read 16 Oct 2026

Hurt and Grievous Hurt

The law of hurt deals with harm caused to the body, and even to the mind, of a person. It is found in Chapter 6 of the B.N.S. , which deals with offences affecting the human body. Within that Chapter, under the sub-heading "Of hurt" , are Sections 114 to 125 .

35 min read 16 Oct 2026

Private Defence

The right of private defence is dealt with in Sections 34 to 44 of the B.N.S. These eleven Sections close Chapter 3 , the chapter on General Exceptions . They explain when a person who uses force to protect a body or property is protected by the law, and when the same force becomes a crime.

28 min read 16 Oct 2026

General Defences: Absence of Criminal Intent

Some acts look like offences on their face, yet the law says that nothing is an offence . The reason lies in a set of general exceptions in Chapter III of the B.N.S. (2023): Sections 19 to 24 , and Sections 30, 31 and 32 .

30 min read 16 Oct 2026

Abetment (Punishment)

Abetment can be compared to striking a matchstick. Once the match is struck, one of three things can happen: it can die out between the fingers, it can light the lamp that was meant to be lit, or it can set the curtain on fire. The abettor strikes the match by instigating someone, by conspiring , o…

27 min read 16 Oct 2026

Theft, Extortion and Robbery

Theft, extortion and robbery under the B.N.S., 2023 all involve the loss of property, but the law gives each loss a different name and a different punishment. Three complaints from the same day show why the distinction matters.

12 min read 16 Oct 2026

Extortion

Extortion is defined and punished in Section 308 of the B.N.S. These notes cover the definition in Section 308(1), how extortion differs from theft, its three essentials (the three D's: Dread, Dishonesty and Delivery), the decision of the Supreme Court in Salib v. State of Uttar Pradesh , the grade…

10 min read 16 Oct 2026

Classification of Offences against Property

All offences against property are placed in Chapter 17 of the B.N.S., titled "Of offences against property" , which runs from Section 303 to Section 334 .

23 min read 16 Oct 2026