Punishment of person guilty of one of several offences, judgment stating that it is doubtful of which
What this section does
This section addresses the situation where a court finds a person guilty of one of several offences charged but cannot determine which specific offence was committed. In such cases, the offender must be sentenced to the punishment prescribed for the offence carrying the lowest penalty among those specified in the judgment.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
Practitioner note
This provision applies only where the judgment itself records the doubt as to which offence was committed. It operates as a sentencing safeguard in favour of the accused.
Derived from IPC s.72.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNS Section 10, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNS Section 10 forms part of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita which replaced the Indian Penal Code 1860 on 1 July 2024. Any new filing, FIR, charge sheet, or bail application made on or after that date should cite the new section number. References to the old act in legacy documents remain valid for matters that arose before the changeover.