Voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty

What this section does

Penalises voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to a public servant while they are discharging their duty, or with intent to prevent/deter them from doing so, or in consequence of their lawful acts. Sub-section (1) covers simple hurt; sub-section (2) covers grievous hurt with a mandatory minimum sentence.

AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).

Quick reference

Punishment

S.121(1) – Hurt: imprisonment of either description up to 5 years, or fine, or both. S.121(2) – Grievous hurt: imprisonment of either description not less than 1 year and up to 10 years, and fine (mandatory minimum of 1 year applies).

Triable by

Magistrate of First Class

Cognizable

Yes

Bailable

No

Compoundable

No

Ingredients (what prosecution must prove)

1. Accused voluntarily caused hurt (s.121(1)) or grievous hurt (s.121(2)) to the victim
2. Victim was a public servant discharging their duty at the time, OR the act was done to prevent/deter any public servant from discharging duty, OR it was done in consequence of anything done or attempted in lawful discharge of duty
3. The causing of hurt/grievous hurt was voluntary (intentional)

Derived from IPC s.332 and s.333.