Indian Penal Code, 1860
IPC Section 91 in BNS
Exclusion of acts which are offences independently of harm caused. Section 91 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Exclusion of acts which are offences independently of harm caused) corresponds to Section 29 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Verify before you rely on this. Renumbering under the 2023 codes is not a clean one-to-one exercise — provisions were merged, split and reworded. Always check the printed bare act.
Where this sits in the exam
This provision is examined under CrPC & Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, worth 10 of the 100 marks in AIBE XXII. The paper permits bare acts but bans notes, so what matters is finding it quickly, not reciting the number.
Questions that turn on this section
A Judicial Magistrate of the First Class may pass a sentence of imprisonment not exceeding:
Answer & explanation
Three years
A JMFC may impose up to three years' imprisonment and a fine as prescribed. A Magistrate of the Second Class may impose up to one year.
The maximum sentence a Judicial Magistrate of the first class may pass is:
Answer & explanation
Three years' imprisonment and fine up to fifty thousand rupees
§ 23(2) BNSS raised the fine ceiling from ten thousand to fifty thousand rupees.
Sections either side of it
How the neighbouring provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 were renumbered:
| IPC | Provision | BNS |
|---|---|---|
| 88 | Act not intended to cause death, done by consent in good faith for benefit | 26 |
| 89 | Act done in good faith for benefit of child or insane person by guardian | 27 |
| 90 | Consent known to be given under fear or misconception | 28 |
| 92 | Act done in good faith for benefit of a person without consent | 30 |
| 93 | Communication made in good faith | 31 |
| 94 | Act to which a person is compelled by threats | 32 |
Practise it
Cutoff has AIBE XXII questions on this area, each cited to both codes with a line telling you where to find it in the bare act. Ten questions per subject are free, no account needed.
Practise free Full IPC→BNS table