What is the punishment under BNS Section 121?

The punishment for this specific offense is outlined under the new law as: Imprisonment up to Five Year(s) + Fine.

Is BNS Section 121 bailable or non-bailable?

Under the new legal framework, this specific offense is classified as a Non-bailable offense.

Is BNS Section 121 a cognizable offense?

The legal status regarding police arrest without a warrant is that this offense is Cognizable.

Which court has the jurisdiction to try cases under BNS Section 121?

Cases pertaining to this specific BNS section are triable by the Magistrate First Class.

Can BNS Section 121 be compromised (Compoundable)?

The compoundable nature of this offense, meaning whether the parties can settle it out of court, is classified as: Non-Compoundable (Refer to BNSS 359 for exceptions).

BNS Section 121- Voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty | Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023

Hello readers! Today, we are going to break down Section 121 of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. If you've been wondering what exactly this section covers and how it impacts our legal system, you're in the right place.

Bare Act Text

Voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty.—(1) Whoever voluntarily causes hurt to any person being a public servant in the discharge of his duty as such public servant, or with intent to prevent or deter that person or any other public servant from discharging his duty as such public servant or in consequence of anything done or attempted to be done by that person in the lawful discharge of his duty as such public servant, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both. (2) Whoever voluntarily causes grievous hurt to any person being a public servant in the discharge of his duty as such public servant, or with intent to prevent or deter that person or any other public servant from discharging his duty as such public servant or in consequence of anything done or attempted to be done by that person in the lawful discharge of his duty as such public servant, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than one year but which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Procedural Details

Punishment

Imprisonment up to Five Year(s) + Fine

Nature of Offense

Cognizable

Bail Eligibility

Non-bailable

Compoundability

Non-Compoundable (Refer to BNSS 359 for exceptions)

Trial Court

Magistrate First Class

Frequently Asked Questions about BNS Section 121

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Pramod is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of StudyHub. He holds a Master's degree and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Geology, alongside more than 7+ years spent building and verifying competitive exam content for Indian aspirants. He leads StudyHub's editorial process across Indian Polity, the Constitution, Indian Economy, History, Geography, Science, and the platform's other subject areas — checking every article against primary sources (bare act text and Gazette notifications for constitutional topics, government and Economic Survey data for economy content, standard reference material elsewhere) and flagging it for re-verification whenever a relevant amendment, policy, or data update makes an earlier version outdated.