Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
Section 131, BNS: Punishment for assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation
Section 131 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in the Act's own words, with the IPC provision it replaces.
What it replaces
| BNS provision | IPC provision | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Section 131 | Section 352 | corresponds |
From the Bureau of Police Research and Development's official comparison summary (source below). The whole table: IPC to BNS.
The section
131. Punishment for assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation.
Whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any person otherwise than on grave and sudden provocation given by that person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both. Explanation 1.—Grave and sudden provocation will not mitigate the punishment for an offence under this section,— (a) if the provocation is sought or voluntarily provoked by the offender as an excuse for the offence; or (b) if the provocation is given by anything done in obedience to the law, or by a public servant, in the lawful exercise of the powers of such public servant; or (c) if the provocation is given by anything done in the lawful exercise of the right of private defence. Explanation 2.—Whether the provocation was grave and sudden enough to mitigate the offence, is a question of fact.The text is India Code's consolidated text as loaded into Pundora's statute corpus on 1 September 2026. A section quoted in a draft checked by Pundora is checked against this text.
Sources
- India Code: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, section 131 (read 1 September 2026)
- Bureau of Police Research and Development: comparison summary, BNS to IPC (read 1 September 2026)