Injury
Also called: Harm illegally caused
Under Section 2(14) of the BNS, any harm whatever illegally caused to any person in body, mind, reputation or property.
Explained
Section 2(14) of the BNS defines injury as any harm whatever illegally caused to any person, in body, mind, reputation or property. The words are the same as Section 44 of the IPC, which applied earlier. The definition is wide in two directions: it covers every kind of harm, and it reaches four interests, so loss of reputation or mental harm is as much an injury as a wound.
The harm must be caused illegally. Under Section 2(15) of the BNS, illegal applies to everything that is an offence, that is prohibited by law, or that furnishes ground for a civil action. Harm that the law permits is therefore not injury in this sense. The word runs through the Sanhita: consent given under fear of injury is not valid consent (Section 28), and the definitions of offences such as criminal intimidation use it.
Injury is wider than hurt and grievous hurt. Hurt under Section 114 is limited to causing bodily pain, disease or infirmity, and grievous hurt under Section 116 lists specific serious kinds of hurt. Bodily injury is the element in the murder clause in Section 101(c), earlier the third clause of Section 300 of the IPC, under which the prosecution must prove the injury, its nature, the intention to inflict that particular injury, and that it is sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death.
Other statutes define the term for their own purposes. Section 2(23) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 copies the BNS wording but leaves out reputation, while Section 2(1)(g) of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 uses it to include permanent, partial or total disablement or sickness resulting from an accident. In the law of torts, injury means the violation of a legal right, which is why injuria sine damno is actionable and damnum sine injuria is not.
What the law says
(14) “injury” means any harm whatever illegally caused to any person, in body, mind, reputation or property;
Clause (14) defines injury; clause (15) defines illegal
Earlier law: IPC 33. “Act”. “Omission”; 47. “Animal”.; New Sub-Section; 28. “Counterfeit”.; 20. “Court of Justice”.; 46. “Death”.; 24. “Dishonestly”.; 29. “Document”.; 25. “Fraudulently”; 8. Gender.; 52. “Good faith”; 17. “Government”.; 52A. “Harbour“.; 44. “Injury”.; 43. “Illegal”. “Legally bound to do”.; 19. “Judge”.; 45. “Life”.; 42. “Local law”.; 10. “Man”. “Woman”.; 49. “Year”. “Month”.; 22. “Movable property”; 9. Number.; 51. “Oath”.; 40. “Offence”.; 33. “Act”. “Omission”; 11. “Person”.; 12. “Public”.; 21. “Public servant”.; 26. “Reason to believe”
Whoever causes bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person is said to cause hurt.
Hurt: the narrower concept of bodily pain, disease or infirmity
Earlier law: IPC 319. Hurt
(b) if the act by which the death is caused is done with the intention of causing such bodily injury as the offender knows to be likely to cause the death of the person to whom the harm is caused; or
(c) if the act by which the death is caused is done with the intention of causing bodily injury to any person and the bodily injury intended to be inflicted is sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death; or
(d) if the person committing the act by which the death is caused, knows that it is so imminently dangerous that it must, in all probability, cause death, or such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, and commits such act without any excuse for incurring the risk of causing death or such injury as aforesaid.
Clause (c): bodily injury sufficient in the ordinary course of nature
Earlier law: IPC 300. Murder.
(a) if the consent is given by a person under fear of injury, or under a misconception of fact, and if the person doing the act knows, or has reason to believe, that the consent was given in consequence of such fear or misconception; or
(b) if the consent is given by a person who, from unsoundness of mind, or intoxication, is unable to understand the nature and consequence of that to which he gives his consent; or
(c) unless the contrary appears from the context, if the consent is given by a person who is under twelve years of age.
Consent given under fear of injury is not valid consent
Earlier law: IPC 90. Consent known to be given under fear or misconception.
Section 2, Consumer Protection Act
(23) “injury” means any harm whatever illegally caused to any person, in body, mind or property;
Clause (23): consumer law definition, without reputation
Earlier law: Section 44, IPC
Example
For example, publishing a false statement that destroys a trader's credit causes injury to his reputation, even though no bodily harm results.
For the exam
- BNS Section 2(14), earlier IPC Section 44: harm in body, mind, reputation or property.
- Harm must be illegal; 'illegal' is defined in Section 2(15) BNS.
- Consumer Protection Act Section 2(23) omits reputation.
- Injury is wider than hurt (Section 114) and grievous hurt (Section 116).
- Bodily injury sufficient in the ordinary course of nature: murder under Section 101(c) BNS.
478 questions in the Law Maker question bank use this term. Practise Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita questions
Judgments
Related terms
- Grievous hurtThe kinds of hurt listed in Section 116 of the BNS, such as emasculation, permanent loss of sight or hearing, fracture, or hurt endangering life or causing fifteen days of severe pain.
- Injuria sine damnoThe violation of a legal right is actionable even though the plaintiff has suffered no actual loss. It applies to torts actionable per se, such as trespass and false imprisonment.
- Damnum sine injuriaActual loss or harm caused without the violation of any legal right gives no cause of action in tort.
- OffenceAn act or omission made punishable by law. The BNS core meaning is a thing made punishable by the Sanhita; the BNSS meaning covers any law in force.
- OmissionA failure to act. Under Section 2(25) of the BNS the word denotes a series of omissions as well as a single omission, and words referring to acts extend to illegal omissions.
Further reading
Checked 6 November 2026. Statutory text is quoted from the Bare Acts library, taken from India Code. See the full glossary.