Section 4

Criminal law is normally territorial — it applies within a country's borders. But lawmakers recognized that a country's own citizens, and things like its ships and aircraft, carry a kind of 'national identity' with them even when abroad. Section 4 was included in the IPC to make sure Indian citizens and Indian-flagged vessels/aircraft don't escape Indian law simply by being outside Indian territory, and later amendments extended this further to cover certain cyber offences affecting computer resources located in India.

Indian courts have generally read Section 4 as giving the Indian state extraterritorial jurisdiction, meaning Indian citizens can be tried under the IPC for offences committed abroad, subject to procedural safeguards like sanction from the Central Government before prosecution (as required under related provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure). Courts have also clarified that this extension doesn't override the criminal laws of the country where the act actually took place — it simply means India can also choose to prosecute.

• Myth: Indian law only applies to crimes committed inside India's borders.
  Fact: Section 4 extends some IPC provisions to specific situations outside India, like offences by Indian citizens abroad or on Indian-registered ships and aircraft.
• Myth: This section by itself lists every situation where Indian law applies abroad.
  Fact: This is only the introductory line; the actual categories are detailed in the clauses that follow it, which aren't included in the text provided here.