BNS Section 14- Act done by a person bound, or by mistake of fact believing himself bound, by law | Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023
Hello readers! Today, we are going to break down Section 14 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
Act done by a person bound, or by mistake of fact believing himself bound, by law.— Nothing is an offence which is done by a person who is, 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, bound by law to do it.
Illustrations.
A, a soldier, fires on a mob by the order of his superior officer, in conformity with the commands of the law. A has committed no offence.
A, an officer of a Court, being ordered by that Court to arrest Y, and, after due enquiry, believing Z to be Y, arrests Z. A has committed no offence.
Procedural Details
Punishment
Depends on original offence
Nature of Offense
Depends on original offence
Bail Eligibility
Depends on original offence
Compoundability
Non-Compoundable (Refer to BNSS 359 for exceptions)
Trial Court
Depends on original offence
Frequently Asked Questions about BNS Section 14
What is Section 14 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)?
According to the official bare act, this legal offense is defined as: Act done by a person bound, or by mistake of fact believing himself bound, by law.— Nothing is an offence which is done by a person who is, 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, bound by law to do it.
Illustrations.
A, a soldier, fires on a mob by the order of his superior officer, in conformity with the commands of the law. A has committed no offence.
A, an officer of a Court, being ordered by that Court to arrest Y, and, after due enquiry, believing Z to be Y, arrests Z. A has committed no offence.
What is the punishment under BNS Section14 ?
The punishment for this specific offense is outlined under the new law as: Depends on original offence
Is BNS Section 14 bailable or non-bailable?
Under the new legal framework, this specific offense is classified as a Depends on original offenceoffense.
Is BNS Section 14 a cognizable offense?
The legal status regarding police arrest without a warrant is that this offense isDepends on original offence.
Which court has the jurisdiction to try cases under BNS Section 14 ?
Cases pertaining to this specific BNS section are triable by the Depends on original offence.
Can BNS Section 14 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).
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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.