सं Samvidhan

BNS · Chapter II

Of Punishments — MCQs with answers

49 exam-style questions on this chapter, written from the actual legal text and tagged for UPSC, Judiciary and CLAT. Five are shown below with answers and explanations — the rest are in the free interactive drill.

Q1 · easy · BNS S.10

According to Section 10 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, if a judgment finds a person guilty of one of several offences but it is doubtful which offence, what punishment should be imposed when the punishments for those offences are not the same?

  1. A.Punish for the offence carrying the lowest punishment.✓ correct
  2. B.Punish for the offence carrying the highest punishment.
  3. C.Acquit the person because of doubt.
  4. D.Impose an average of the available punishments.

Why: Section 10 states that where it is doubtful which of several offences a person is guilty of, the offender shall be punished for the offence for which the lowest punishment is provided, provided the same punishment is not provided for all. Therefore the least severe punishment is to be imposed in that situation.

Read Section 10 — Punishment of person guilty of one of several offences, judgment stating that it is doubtful →

Q2 · easy · BNS S.10

Which factual situation triggers the application of Section 10 as framed in the provision?

  1. A.A judgment that states the person is guilty of one of several offences, but it is doubtful which of these offences he is guilty of.✓ correct
  2. B.Any conviction where multiple offences are proved beyond reasonable doubt.
  3. C.When the accused admits guilt to one specific offence.
  4. D.When offences are tried summarily rather than on warrant.

Why: The provision begins: 'In all cases in which judgment is given that a person is guilty of one of several offences specified in the judgment, but that it is doubtful of which of these offences he is guilty' — so it applies specifically where the judgment records doubt as to which of several offences is proved.

Read Section 10 — Punishment of person guilty of one of several offences, judgment stating that it is doubtful →

Q3 · medium · BNS S.10

If a judgment holds it is doubtful whether the accused committed Offence A (punishable with 3 years' imprisonment) or Offence B (punishable with 7 years' imprisonment), what does Section 10 require?

  1. A.Impose 3 years' imprisonment (the lower punishment).✓ correct
  2. B.Impose 7 years' imprisonment (the higher punishment).
  3. C.Impose both punishments consecutively (10 years).
  4. D.Acquit the accused because of the doubt.

Why: Section 10 directs that where it is doubtful which of several offences the person is guilty of, the offender shall be punished for the offence for which the lowest punishment is provided, provided the same punishment is not provided for all. Thus the 3-year punishment would be imposed.

Read Section 10 — Punishment of person guilty of one of several offences, judgment stating that it is doubtful →

Q4 · medium · BNS S.10

If the several offences specified in the judgment all carry the same punishment and the court is doubtful which offence the accused committed, what does Section 10 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita state should be done?

  1. A.Section 10 requires punishment equal to that common punishment.
  2. B.Section 10 does not prescribe a special rule in that situation.✓ correct
  3. C.Section 10 requires acquittal because of doubt.
  4. D.Section 10 requires the court to select the offence with the least moral culpability.

Why: Section 10 applies only where 'the same punishment is not provided for all.' If all offences carry the same punishment, the provision's special rule (punish for the lowest) is not triggered; the provision therefore does not prescribe a different outcome in that case.

Read Section 10 — Punishment of person guilty of one of several offences, judgment stating that it is doubtful →

Q5 · hard · BNS S.10

Section 10 says the offender shall be punished 'for the offence for which the lowest punishment is provided' when it is doubtful which offence was committed. If two offences tied for the lowest punishment, what does the provision itself specify about which of those tied offences to select?

  1. A.It specifies that the court may choose any one of the tied lowest offences.
  2. B.It directs the court to select the offence listed first in the judgment.
  3. C.It requires selection of the offence involving lesser mens rea.
  4. D.The provision is silent on how to choose between multiple offences that share the lowest punishment.✓ correct

Why: Section 10 directs punishment 'for the offence for which the lowest punishment is provided' when punishments are not the same, but it does not address the situation where more than one offence shares that lowest punishment. The text therefore remains silent on a method of selection in that tied situation.

Read Section 10 — Punishment of person guilty of one of several offences, judgment stating that it is doubtful →

44 more questions on Of Punishments

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Questions are AI-generated from the legal text, machine-verified against the provision, and editorially reviewable. Education, not legal advice.