Subhashini Parihar

Consent means “to agree upon the same thing in the same sense.” It is said to be given when a person agrees upon a thing being done with his own will and not because of any fear, force or misconception. The element of consent excuses offences against the human body and property.

Sections 87 to section 89 of the Indian Penal Code lays down that if certain acts are committed with the victim’s consent, they will not be considered an offence, and the offender will not be held liable for the same.KEEP READING

A state of a person by which both his physical and mental condition is weakened due to intake of alcohol or any other intoxicating substance is known as intoxication. In cases where a person is incapable of knowing the nature of the act or what he is doing is wrong or opposed to the law due to intoxication, it will not be considered as an offence.

Intoxication as a general defence/exception can be better understood from section 85 and 86 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.KEEP READING

The Indian Penal Code considers insanity as a general exception under section 84. Criminal intent is necessary to make a person legally liable for a crime. And therefore, a person’s mental capacity to form a criminal intent is significant in determining the criminal liability of that person.

A person may lack enough mental ability to form a criminal intent due to some defect of the mental faculty.KEEP READING

A necessity in a general sense can be said to be the state or fact of being required. When a person commits a crime or any harm to any person or property to prevent or avoid more significant harm than what has been caused by him, the defence of necessity is applied.

This section incorporates a principle whereby a person is excused from doing lesser harm to prevent or avoid greater harm. You can understand necessity as an exception to IPC from section 81 (Chapter IV, General Exceptions).KEEP READING

A child is considered innocent, and any wrongful act done by a child cannot be said to be a crime or an offence as it lacks mens rea (guilty mind).

This section follows the principle of doli incapax, which provides that a child is considered incapable of forming the intent to commit a crime or tort. This can be understood briefly from section 82 and section 83 of IPC. Let me explain what this is and make it easy for you.KEEP READING

The punishments to which offenders are liable under the provisions of this Code are:

1. Death.
2. Imprisonment for life.
3. Deleted.
4. Imprisonment, which is of two descriptions, namely:
(1) Rigorous, that is, with hard labour;
(2) Simple.
5. Forfeiture of property.
6. Fine.KEEP READING

The judicial act is an act that is derived from the ordinary exercise of judicial powers within the reasonable and appropriate jurisdiction.

Anything done while acting judicially is not an offence under the Indian Penal Code. Judicial acts as a general exception can be better understood from section 77 and section 78 of IPC.KEEP READING

Section 76 deals with cases where the person under a mistake considers himself to be compelled or bound by law to act in a particular way. Although his act is a crime on the actual condition of the facts.

On the contrary, section 79 deals with cases where a person under the mistake considers himself to be simply justified or excused by the law to act in a particular way.KEEP READING

The Indian Penal Code contains certain provisions in which the liability of a person who commits a crime with some other persons is determined.

When a person commits a crime with some other person(s), joint liability is generated because either the intention or the object is common to all the persons who have committed a crime together.KEEP READING

Generally speaking, jurisdiction is the official power to make legal decisions and judgements. The extent to which the Court of law can exercise its powers relating to suits, appeals, proceedings, etc., can be said to be the jurisdiction of the Indian Penal Code. It is the limit within which the courts can exercise their powers over the cases.

Jurisdiction of IPC can be understood from sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.KEEP READING