BNS Section 116: Grievous hurt (formerly IPC 320)
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · in force from 1 July 2024
BNS 116: Grievous hurt
From 1 July 2024
The following kinds of hurt only are designated as “grievous”, namely:–
(a) Emasculation;
(b) Permanent privation of the sight of either eye;
(c) Permanent privation of the hearing of either ear;
(d) Privation of any member or joint;
(e) Destruction or permanent impairing of the powers of any member or joint;
(f) Permanent disfiguration of the head or face;
(g) Fracture or dislocation of a bone or tooth;
(h) Any hurt which endangers life or which causes the sufferer to be during the space of fifteen days in severe bodily pain, or unable to follow his ordinary pursuits.
What it replaced in the IPC
BNS 116 ← IPC 320 · Grievous hurtChanged
BPR&D's comparison records a change. Read what changed before relying on the old wording.
What changed, per BPR&D: Suffering threshold period for grievous hurt is reduced from twenty days to fifteen days.
Printed in both official correspondence tables (BPR&D and NCRB).
The following kinds of hurt only are designated as “grievous”:—
First.—Emasculation.
Secondly.—Permanent privation of the sight of either eye.
Thirdly.—Permanent privation of the hearing of either ear.
Fourthly.—Privation of any member or joint.
Fifthly.—Destruction or permanent impairing of the powers of any member or joint.
Sixthly.—Permanent disfiguration of the head or face.
Seventhly.—Fracture or dislocation of a bone or tooth.
Eighthly.—Any hurt which endangers life or which causes the sufferer to be during the space of twenty days in severe bodily pain, or unable to follow his ordinary pursuits.
Which one applies
An offence is governed by the law in force when it was committed. An offence committed before 1 July 2024 is charged and punished under the IPC; one committed on or after that date, under the BNS. Section 358 of the BNS, which repeals the IPC, preserves every liability and proceeding already incurred under it.
Read BNS section 358 →Judgments decided under IPC 320
They remain the law on IPC 320. Where the provision changed in the move, read what changed before relying on one for an offence after 1 July 2024.
Sources
- Correspondence Table and Comparison Summary of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 to the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Bureau of Police Research & Development, Ministry of Home Affairs, page 13.
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023: bare Act with Corresponding Section Table, National Crime Records Bureau (Sankalan), page 35.
- The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860), as amended, India Code, Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice.
BPR&D is the Bureau of Police Research & Development (Ministry of Home Affairs); NCRB the National Crime Records Bureau. Their correspondence tables are training aids, not law. This page is general information, not legal advice on any case; the bare Acts as published by the Government of India are the authority.