Section124

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc

In force From 01 Jul 2024 Act 45 of 2023 As on 14 Oct 2026

Act 45 of 2023 Ministry Home Affairs Enacted 25 Dec 2023 In force 01 Jul 2024 Cited by 11 provisions

Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 deals with voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc. Whoever causes permanent or partial damage or deformity to, or burns or maims or disfigures or disables, any part or parts of the body of a person or causes grievous hurt by throwing acid on or by administering acid to that person, or by using any other means with the intention of causing or with th The Act came into force on 01 Jul 2024.

(1) Whoever causes permanent or partial damage or deformity to, or burns or maims or disfigures or disables, any part or parts of the body of a person or causes grievous hurt by throwing acid on or by administering acid to that person, or by using any other means with the intention of causing or with the knowledge that he is likely to cause such injury or hurt or causes a person to be in a permanent vegetative state shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, and with fine:
Provided that such fine shall be just and reasonable to meet the medical expenses of the treatment of the victim:
Provided further that any fine imposed under this sub-section shall be paid to the victim.
(2) Whoever throws or attempts to throw acid on any person or attempts to administer acid to any person, or attempts to use any other means, with the intention of causing permanent or partial damage or deformity or burns or maiming or disfigurement or disability or grievous hurt to that person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than five years but which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Explanation 1.--For the purposes of this section, "acid" includes any substance which has acidic or corrosive character or burning nature, that is capable of causing bodily injury leading to scars or disfigurement or temporary or permanent disability.
Explanation 2.---For the purposes of this section, permanent or partial damage or deformity or permanent vegetative state shall not be required to be irreversible.
Section 124, The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Act 45 of 2023).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

Referred to by 11

How this offence is classified

From the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which classifies every offence under the Sanhita. Cognizable means a police officer may arrest without warrant; bailable means bail is a matter of right rather than of the court's discretion. This section is classified 2 ways.

Offence	Punishment	Cognizable	Bailable	Triable by
Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc.	Imprisonment for not less than 10 years but which may extend to imprisonment for life and fine.	Cognizable.	Non-bailable.	Court of Session.
Voluntarily throwing or attempting to throw acid.	Imprisonment for 5 years but which may extend to 7 years and fine.	Cognizable.	Non-bailable.	Court of Session.

The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023

Judgments citing this section

These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.

High Court 16 May 2025 DLHC010026032025

… by a woman police officer or any woman officer: > > Provided further that— (a) in the event that the person against whom an offence under Section 64, Section 65, Section 66, Section 67, Section 68, Section 69, Section 70, Section 71, Section 74, Section 75, Section 76, Section 77, Section 78, Section 79 or Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 is alleged to have been committed or attempted, is temporarily or permanently mentally or physically disabled, then such information shall be recorded by a police officer, at the residence of the person seeking to report such offence or at a …

Read this order on eCourtsIndia

Questions about Section 124

What does Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita deal with?

Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita is headed "Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc". Whoever causes permanent or partial damage or deformity to, or burns or maims or disfigures or disables, any part or parts of the body of a person or causes grievous hurt by throwing acid on or by administering acid to that person, or by using any other means with the intention of causing or with th

Is Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita bailable?

Non-bailable, under the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

Is Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita cognizable?

Cognizable. "Cognizable" means a police officer may arrest without warrant; "non-cognizable" that they may not. An offence under this section is triable by Court of Session.

How do I find court cases under Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: BNS 124, section 124 BNS, section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. People searching for it also type bns 124(1) and bns 124 2. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.

What should I read with Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and has it changed?

11 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it.

When did Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita come into force?

Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, commonly called acid attack, and cited as BNS 124, came into force on 01 Jul 2024, having been enacted on 25 Dec 2023. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 14 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.