Definitions, s. 2: document, counterfeit, dishonestly and fraudulently, good faith, public servant, offence and the other examinable definitions
LUG-106 Substantial Law of Crimes-I (The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 - I), Unit II: Definitions and general explanations (ss. 2-3). · LLB · 60 min
Section 2 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 collects in thirty-nine clauses the definitions that the Indian Penal Code spread over ss. 8 to 52A. The examiner asks for them as short notes (2025-26 Q1(a): document; counterfeit) and expects the Sanhita's wording, its explanations and illustrations, and one or two cases. This lecture reads the examinable clauses in that way and marks what the BNS changed: child, gender including transgender, document including electronic and digital records, and the new reference to the IT Act and the BNSS.
Objectives
- State the definitions of document, valuable security, counterfeit, dishonestly, fraudulently, wrongful gain and wrongful loss with their explanations and illustrations.
- Explain good faith, injury, illegal and legally bound, harbour, reason to believe and voluntarily, and use the Sanhita's illustrations.
- Identify who is a public servant under s. 2(28) and apply the explanations.
- Explain the three-tier meaning of offence in s. 2(24) and the definitions of person, man, woman, child and gender.
- Point out the definitions that are new or changed in the BNS.
Slides
- How to read s. 2: thirty-nine clauses, one opening phrase
- Document, s. 2(8) (s. 29 IPC), and valuable security, s. 2(31) (s. 30)
- Counterfeit, s. 2(4) (s. 28 IPC)
- Dishonestly, fraudulently, wrongful gain and wrongful loss: ss. 2(7), 2(9), 2(36)-(38)
- Injury, illegal and legally bound, good faith, harbour, reason to believe, voluntarily
- Public servant, s. 2(28) (s. 21 IPC)
- Person, public, man, woman, child, gender, Judge and Court
- Movable property, animal, oath, vessel, will, number, month and year, special and local law
- Offence, s. 2(24) (s. 40 IPC), and act and omission, ss. 2(1), 2(25), 3(4)
- What the BNS changed in s. 2, and how the examiner asks it
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