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CHAPTER III GENERAL EXCEPTIONS

Section 17: Act done by a person justified, or by mistake of fact believing himself justified, by law

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Nothing is an offence which is done by any person who is justified by law, or who by reason of a mistake of fact and not by reason of a mistake of law in good faith, believes himself to be justified by law, in doing it.

Illustration.

A sees Z commit what appears to A to be a murder. A, in the exercise, to the best of his judgment exerted in good faith, of the power which the law gives to all persons of apprehending murderers in the fact, seizes Z, in order to bring Z before the proper authorities. A has committed no offence, though it may turn out that Z was acting in self-defence.

Corresponding IPC provision

As given in the correspondence table of the National Crime Records Bureau (Ministry of Home Affairs). Read both texts before relying on it. NCRB table

Questions on this section

5 questions in 10 of our papers cite Section 17. Try these from the free papers:

  1. 1. "Ignorantia juris non excusat" means:

  2. 2. Under Sections 14 and 17 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, a person who is not in fact bound or justified by law is protected if he in good faith believes himself to be so bound or justified by reason of:

Practise questions on Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita