Intro Flashcards
Actus non facit reum nisi mensitrea
Both must concur to constitute a crime
ACTUS REA
- Kenny- physical condut of the man that law seeks to prevent
- Prohibited by criminal law . Executioner, army man
- Physical assault, murder, destruction of property
- Omission of legally bound - hospital
MENS REA
- guilty mind
- Prosecution must prove - actively and knowingly
Therefore as per contemporaneity rule. Not sufficient that mentally innocent act was followed by mens rea Illustration 1. Buy poison- no actus rea 2. Wrestling match - sec 87 3. Sec 378- dishonesty, moves
Various degree of mensrea
- Intention
- Knowledge
- Reckless/ rashness
- Negligence
Difference between knowledge and intention
Intention -
- foresee+ desire,
- Synonyms- voluntarily, wilfully, deliberately
- Not same as motive. Motive prompts to form intention. Man steals for wife
- Absence of intention- defence in trial. But not motive. Deep seated and unfathomable
KNOWLEDGE
- Mental cognition
- Highest degree of speculative faculties
Table
- Awareness of consequences vs desire to achieve
- Bare awareness vs know with certainty that certain consequences should ensue
Mother jumps. K but not I
A corporate aggregate cannot be fastened with criminal liablity
Sec 11- person- any company, association, body of persons whether incorporated or not.
Sec 2- all persons liable for punishment under this code
Standard chartered bank case - punished for offences which has mandatory punishment of imprisonment and fine. In case found guilty, imprisonment cannot be imposed, but fine acc to judicial discretion
Men’s rea not required
Mens rea is not essential in respect of five offences in I.P.C., namely:
Sec. 121 (waging war),
Sec. 124 A (sedition),
Secs. 359 and 362 (kidnapping and abduction), and
Sec. 232 (counterfeiting coins)
Sec 292. – sale of obscene books
Evolution of menserea in criminal offences
- R vs Prince - 16 yr. Belief 18. Held liable bcoz inherently immoral
Lord brett- dissenting opinion - no convicton w/o criminal intent
2 R vs Faulkner - rum stealing
Held - intended to do something criminal that might have reasonably led to the crime charged for
Statutory offences
- Not inherently wrong. Motor vehicle act
- Dissenting opinion of regina vs prince - in malum prohibitum prosecution must prove mens rea
- R vs tolson- doctrine of mensrea in stat off
Followed in independent india
1. Nathulal vs state - mensrea essential ingredient unless statute prohibits
- MH George vs state- check the following for absolute liablity - phraseology, objective, nature of public purpose, kind of mischief
Statutory offences that do not require mens rea
1. Social right. Pca
2. Industrial law. Factories act
3. Ecomoic Or fiscal offence
4 public welfare - food adulteration, narcotics,
5. Contempt of court - RAJENDRA SAIL VS MP BAR ASSOCIATION
Roscoe Pound: Such statutes are not meant to punish vicious will, but to put pressure on the thoughtless and inefficient to do their duty in the interest of public health
Note on life imprisonment
- Sec 53
- Entire life span
- 51 sections
- Always rigorous
- Sec 433 of crpc prez Or governor can commute if 14 years
Evolution of nuanced death penalty
- Loksabha 1962 . Referred it to LC. Retention
- 14,19 , 21 — JAGMOHAN vs STATE. Upheld. 354(3) of crpc. Judges must state special reasons
- Bachan singh - rarest if rare. Principled sentencing.
- Machi singh - crimes which shock the collective conscience
- Rameshbhai rathode case - look into the nature of criminal rather than crime itself. Cannot prioritize sentiments of outrage
Against death penalty
- 2016 DEATH PENALTY INDIA REPORT by project 39A–
- santhosh bariyar – judge centric
- Bachan singh - bhagwati justice – hardly see a rich man going to the gallows
Manoj vs state - psychiatric evaluation, conduct in jail, info regarding socio economic background
Progress towards reformation while incarceration + guiding towards mitigating factors of bachao Singh case
Alternate in Shivakumar vs state (2023) - leniency - public confidence- fixed term sentence
Sec 107 - 3 acts of abetment
- ABETMENT BY INSTIGATION - wilful misrepresentation or wilful concealment of material fact, voluntarily causes or attempts to cause a thing to be done
Police x, c as z
Sheo mal case - letter
- Conspiracy- engaging with one or more person in a conspiracy of doing tht thing, act or illegal ommission in pursuance
Followed a sati shouting ram ram - Abetment by aid. - does anything to facilitate the commission of that act
Emp vs umi- priest of bigamous marriage
Exp 1 of 108
Abetment of illegal omission of an act may amount to an offence, although the abettir may not himself be bound to do that act
An act abetted was not commited. Is there an offence
Exp 2 of sec 108
Not necessary- commited Or necessary effect be caused.
- Its the intention of the abettor that is sought to be punished here
- Doesn’t matter if the abetted - refused, failed, or brought forth an outcome which was not intended
- even if the person alleged to have commited the offence in consequence of abetment has been aquitted.
Ill. - a asking b to kill c - 2 outcomes
A asked B help to loot his master, b with master permission aids A in order to apprehend A. Held that though theft not commited, A liable for abetment of theft
Key ingredients of sec 120A
Criminal law amendment act 1913
Mensrea and not the actus rea
Glanville Williams - LAW IS FEARFUL OF NUMBERS
- 2 or more people recahes an agreement
- To do an illegal act
- Obtain a legal object through illegal means
Core element of conspiracy sec 120A
- Agreement of object or purpose. Multiplicity of means
- Purpose of the agreement should be to break the law by doing an illegal act
- Power an offence gets through combination of minds. 2 or more
- No need of overt act. Wrong mens rea
- But however if the agreement is to obtain a lawful object through illegal means, there ought to be some overt act by 1 or more of the participants
- Direct or indirect evidence
- Volatile entity.
State of tn vs Nalini
Punished under 120B
Sec 120 A vs sec 34
- Substabtive offence vs rule of evidence
- Mere agreement vs some overt act
- Actual offence may or may not follow vs offence must follow
However in both all are equally liable
Sec 120A vs sec 108
- A form of abetment vs 3 ways
- 2 or more persons vs one person enough
- Each of the accused is the principal offender vs abettor is not the principal offender
Illusttative case of sedition
Balwant singh vs state - person who shouted khalistan zindabad outside a cinema in market few hours after IG died
Affray section
159
Key ingredients of sec 153 A and 2 cases
- Whoever by w/s/vr promotes enimity between 2 groups of people on ground of relegion, race etc
- Commits any act which is prejudicail to the harmony of 2 groups and disturbs or is likely to disturb public tranquillity
- Organizes Excericse or drill etc in order to exercise force against any group
Above 3 offences, imprisonment up to 3 years or fine or both
- If the above offences in a place of worship, imprisonment up to 5 years
Struck down in Tara Singh
Gopal vinayak godse case - upheld
Babu rao patel case - if intention was to case hate and enimity, no defence that it is true account of history
At least 2 groups should be involved. Bilal ahmed kaloo case
Mistake of fact
- Sec 76 - bound by law, mistake of fact, good faith
Charan das vs state - Police party surrounding a tent - suspicion of gamblin
Emperor vs gopalia - accused under warrnat - reasonable enquiry — arrests c believing him to be Z
- SEC 79- justified by law, mistake of fact, good faith
- Dakhi singh vs state - shoot
- Waryam singh vs emperor- kills a ghost
Necessity
- Sec 81
Ingredients
- Done without criminal intent ( emperor vs dhania dhaji - poison in toddy pot)
- Knowledge - act likely to cause harm
- Good faith
- To prevent the other harm to person or property
What are the principles of sec 81
Necessity
- Quad necessitas non habet leegam
- Privileged mens rea, though actus rea is an offence
Sir JD maynes - legislative sanction to the principle that in situation of extreme emergency if one of the 2 evils is inevitable —- Smaller evil
Doctrine of self preservation
Dudley vs stevenson
- Self sacrifice bigger duty than self preservation
- Human lives equally valuable
- No defence of necessity for willful homicide of other person
Liablity of children between 7 and 12 in IPC
- Sec 83
- No blanket immunity of doli incapax
- Malatia supplet octatum
- Decided on the basis of - nature, words spoken, preceeding and following, congruence of physical and mental ability
Abdul sattar vs crown - 2 boys broke open lock of the shop to commit crime. Act of breaking open sufficient proof of maturity of understanding
Bop -accused
Punishment- jj act- no death or rigourous imprisonment
42nd LC- rather than punish – treat
Introduction of insanity -maxim- 3 elements - bop
- Maxim - a mad man cannot have the will and thus he cannot have mens rea
3 elements
- At the time of doing an act
- By the reason of unsoundness of mind
- Is incapable of knowing the nature of the act or that act is contrary to law
Bop- accused
Intoxication sections? Test?
- Sec 85- involuntary
- Sec 86- voluntary
Sec 85 - foreseeability test - The foreseeability test checks all the actions of an intoxicated person collectively to see whether he crossed the limit after which a man loses self-control and cannot foresee the consequences of his acts.
Land mark case that gave guidelines wrt drunkeness
DPP vs BEARd
- Insannity caused due to drunkeness is a defence to crime charged
- Evidence if drunkeness should be taken into consideration along with other facts to determine whether he had the intent or not
- Mere establishment of the fact that mans mind was so affected by drink that he readily gave way to violent passion–> no protection
Consent
Sec 90
Consent is not consent if given by a person
1. Under fear of injury
2. Misconception of facts
3. With unsoundness of mind or intoxication
4. Under 12 years of age
Under which section will a harm caused while playing fencing be protected 🤺
Sec 87 act done
- With no intention to cause death or grevious hurt
- Not known to cause grievous hurt or death
- Consent given by >18 years
In such a case harm can be caused (including death)