● Modified in BNS
Voluntarily causing grievous hurt carries up to 7 years' imprisonment and fine under BNS Section 117(2), unchanged from IPC 325. The BNS does narrow the underlying "grievous hurt" definition's qualifying period for severe-pain injuries from 20 days to 15.
Section 325 IPC punished voluntarily causing grievous hurt (as defined in Section 320 -- e.g. loss of sight, hearing or a limb, permanent disfiguration, fracture, or any hurt endangering life or causing severe pain/incapacity for 20 days), except where grave and sudden provocation applied, with imprisonment of either description up to 7 years, and fine.
BNS Section 117(2) reproduces the punishment unchanged. The upstream "grievous hurt" definition (BNS 116) shortens the severe-pain qualifying period from 20 to 15 days, making an injury reach the grievous threshold sooner. BNS 117 also adds two brand-new adjacent sub-sections with no IPC equivalent: permanent-disability/vegetative-state grievous hurt (117(3)), and mob grievous hurt on discriminatory grounds (117(4)).
Punishment for this specific clause is unchanged. Upstream, the grievous-hurt qualifying period narrows from 20 to 15 days, and two wholly new aggravated sub-sections (permanent disability, and group/discriminatory grievous hurt) were added to the same section.
Imprisonment of either description up to 7 years, and fine..
IPC 325 is bailable..
This is a cognizable. offence.
Compoundable with the permission of the court, by the person to whom hurt is caused..
Matters under IPC 325 are tried before the Any Magistrate..
Common defences include grave and sudden provocation, the injury not meeting the statutory threshold for grievous hurt, and absence of intention or knowledge that grievous hurt would result.
Summaries are for general information and are not legal advice. For the authoritative bare-act text, see the official Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and Indian Penal Code, 1860 (full amended text, as it stood before repeal) on India Code, or the Ministry of Home Affairs' new criminal laws page. ← All comparisons