During the medico-legal examination of an adult survivor of rape, the accused's lawyer later argues that she did not scream or fight back, and that the absence of injuries on her body proves consent. The doctor is asked about this in court. What is the legal position?

Lack of resistance alone does not mean consent

Absence of injuries proves the act was consensual

Consent is presumed if she did not raise an alarm

Only a woman with genital injuries can prove rape

Inquest papers reach the autopsy surgeon at a district hospital: a woman married three years ago was found dead with 80% burns in her husband's house. Her father states that the husband's family demanded a car soon after the wedding, that she phoned home in tears several times, and that her husband beat her a week before her death. The neighbours heard a quarrel on the night of the fire. At autopsy the burns are antemortem, with soot in the airways and a carboxyhaemoglobin of 22%. For the charge of dowry death under BNS Section 80, which fact must the prosecution establish besides the timing of the death?

Cruelty or harassment for dowry soon before her death

That the husband himself poured kerosene and set her on fire

That she left a written suicide note

That the dowry demand was made before the wedding

Nine years after her marriage, a schoolteacher in Kanpur is found hanging. Her diary records years of taunts and beatings by her husband over dowry, the last a few days before her death. The autopsy confirms antemortem hanging with no other injuries. Why can the husband not be charged with dowry death?

The death occurred more than 7 years after marriage

A diary is not admissible as evidence

Dowry death applies only to death by burns

Death by hanging is treated as a natural death in law

The school counsellor refers a girl of 13 to the CHC after she says a neighbour repeatedly touched her breasts and thighs with sexual intent when she visited his shop. There was no penetration, and examination finds no injury. Which offence under the POCSO Act does this describe?

Aggravated penetrative sexual assault

BNS offences: hurt, homicide, sexual offences and dowry death

35 NEET-PG practice questions on BNS offences: hurt, homicide, sexual offences and dowry death, part of Forensic Medicine. The first 25 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

Question 1 · Medium
During the medico-legal examination of an adult survivor of rape, the accused's lawyer later argues that she did not scream or fight back, and that the absence of injuries on her body proves consent. The doctor is asked about this in court. What is the legal position?
1. AAbsence of injuries proves the act was consensual
2. BConsent is presumed if she did not raise an alarm
3. COnly a woman with genital injuries can prove rape
4. DLack of resistance alone does not mean consent
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Answer: D · Lack of resistance alone does not mean consent
BNS 63 defines consent as an unequivocal voluntary agreement, and expressly states that a woman who does not physically resist the act shall not, by that fact alone, be regarded as consenting. Many survivors freeze or submit out of fear, and up to half have no genital or body injuries. The doctor should state that absence of injuries neither confirms nor excludes sexual assault. Key point: Absence of resistance or injuries does not prove consent in rape; it neither confirms nor excludes assault.
- A: Many survivors have no injuries, so their absence proves nothing.
- B: Silence or not raising an alarm is not consent in law.
- C: Rape can be proved without genital injury, on the whole evidence.
Question 2 · Medium
Inquest papers reach the autopsy surgeon at a district hospital: a woman married three years ago was found dead with 80% burns in her husband's house. Her father states that the husband's family demanded a car soon after the wedding, that she phoned home in tears several times, and that her husband beat her a week before her death. The neighbours heard a quarrel on the night of the fire. At autopsy the burns are antemortem, with soot in the airways and a carboxyhaemoglobin of 22%. For the charge of dowry death under BNS Section 80, which fact must the prosecution establish besides the timing of the death?
1. AThat the husband himself poured kerosene and set her on fire
2. BCruelty or harassment for dowry soon before her death
3. CThat she left a written suicide note
4. DThat the dowry demand was made before the wedding
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Answer: B · Cruelty or harassment for dowry soon before her death
Dowry death has four ingredients: death by burns, bodily injury or otherwise than under normal circumstances; within 7 years of marriage; soon before her death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or his relative; and that harassment was for or in connection with a demand for dowry. The prosecution need not prove who caused the burns: once these facts are shown, the court presumes the harasser caused the dowry death. A demand made after marriage is enough. Key point: Dowry death needs unnatural death within 7 years of marriage plus dowry-related cruelty soon before death.
- A: Direct proof of who lit the fire is not needed; the law presumes it once the ingredients are proved.
- C: A suicide note is not an ingredient; a dowry death may be suicide or homicide.
- D: Demands made at any time in connection with the marriage count, not only before the wedding.
Question 3 · Medium
Nine years after her marriage, a schoolteacher in Kanpur is found hanging. Her diary records years of taunts and beatings by her husband over dowry, the last a few days before her death. The autopsy confirms antemortem hanging with no other injuries. Why can the husband not be charged with dowry death?
1. AA diary is not admissible as evidence
2. BDowry death applies only to death by burns
3. CDeath by hanging is treated as a natural death in law
4. DThe death occurred more than 7 years after marriage
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Answer: D · The death occurred more than 7 years after marriage
Dowry death under BNS 80 applies only to an unnatural death within 7 years of marriage. Beyond that period the husband can still be charged with cruelty (BNS 85) and, if the harassment drove her to suicide, abetment of suicide (BNS 108), but the statutory presumptions tied to the 7-year period do not apply. Death by hanging, poisoning or drowning can be a dowry death if the other conditions are met. Key point: Dowry death needs death within 7 years of marriage; later deaths are charged as cruelty or abetment of suicide.
- A: Writings of a deceased person can be relevant evidence; that is not the bar here.
- B: Burns are only one example; any death otherwise than in normal circumstances counts.
- C: Hanging is an unnatural death, which satisfies that ingredient.
Question 4 · Medium
The school counsellor refers a girl of 13 to the CHC after she says a neighbour repeatedly touched her breasts and thighs with sexual intent when she visited his shop. There was no penetration, and examination finds no injury. Which offence under the POCSO Act does this describe?
1. AAggravated penetrative sexual assault
2. BSexual harassment
3. CPenetrative sexual assault
4. DSexual assault
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Answer: D · Sexual assault
Under POCSO Section 7, touching the vagina, penis, anus or breast of a child, or making the child touch those of another, with sexual intent and without penetration, is sexual assault, punished under Section 8 with 3 to 5 years and fine. Penetrative assault needs penetration. Sexual harassment (Section 11) covers acts without physical contact, such as gestures or showing pornography. A neighbour is not one of the persons who make the assault aggravated, and she is over 12. Key point: Sexual touching of a child without penetration is sexual assault under POCSO Section 7.
- A: Neither penetration nor an aggravating factor is present.
- B: Sexual harassment under POCSO involves no physical contact.
- C: There was no penetration, so this is not penetrative assault.
Question 5 · Easy
Which section of the BNS defines hurt as causing bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person?
1. ASection 114
2. BSection 116
3. CSection 118
4. DSection 115
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Answer: A · Section 114
BNS 114 (old IPC 319) defines hurt as causing bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person. BNS 115 punishes voluntarily causing hurt with up to 1 year, or a fine up to Rs 10,000, or both. Grievous hurt is defined in BNS 116. Key point: Hurt is defined in BNS 114 and punished under BNS 115; grievous hurt is defined in BNS 116.
- B: Section 116 defines grievous hurt.
- C: Section 118 covers hurt by dangerous weapons or means.
- D: Section 115 punishes voluntarily causing hurt but does not define it.
Question 6 · Easy
Under the BNS, how long must severe bodily pain or inability to follow ordinary pursuits last for hurt to become grievous?
1. A15 days
2. B10 days
3. C30 days
4. D20 days
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Question 7 · Hard
A charge sheet reaches the sessions court: a man is accused of raping a 17-year-old girl, and the facts make out both rape under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and penetrative sexual assault under the POCSO Act. The doctor's report records a fresh posterior fourchette tear and her school certificate confirms her date of birth. The defence argues he can be punished only under the lighter of the two provisions, since one act cannot be punished twice, and the prosecution argues for the stricter law. The medical officer who examined her is giving evidence. How will the court apply the punishment?
1. AUnder the BNS only, as the general criminal law
2. BUnder the lighter provision, as the defence argues
3. CUnder whichever law provides the greater punishment
4. DUnder both laws, with the sentences running one after the other
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Question 8 · Easy
Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the punishment for murder is laid down in which section?
1. ASection 100
2. BSection 101
3. CSection 103
4. DSection 105
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Question 9 · Medium
A woman is brought to the burns unit after a rejected suitor threw acid on her face; she has deep burns, permanent facial disfigurement and loss of vision in the left eye. The police ask the treating doctor to describe the injuries as grievous, and the prosecutor explains the punishment to her family. Which statement about the punishment under the BNS is correct?
1. ADeath penalty only, since the loss of vision is permanent
2. BUp to 7 years, as for any grievous hurt
3. CUp to 1 year or fine, as for voluntary hurt
4. DAt least 10 years, up to life; the fine is paid to her
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Question 10 · Medium
1. Dowry death applies only when the death occurs within 7 years of marriage. 2. A death from burns can be a dowry death but a death by poisoning cannot. 3. Cruelty or harassment for dowry must be shown soon before the death. 4. The harasser may be the husband or any of his relatives. Regarding BNS Section 80, which statements are correct?
1. A1 and 3 only
2. B1, 2 and 3 only
3. C2 and 4 only
4. D1, 3 and 4 only
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Question 11 · Easy
A woman tells the casualty medical officer that her husband and mother-in-law have beaten and starved her for months to force her parents to give money. She is alive, with old bruises. Which BNS offence does this conduct point to?
1. AAbetment of suicide of a married woman, Section 108
2. BGrievous hurt, Section 117
3. CCruelty by husband or relatives, Section 85
4. DDowry death, Section 80
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Question 12 · Medium
Four years after her marriage, a woman dies of poisoning at her in-laws' house. Her brother proves that the husband had demanded Rs 5 lakh and beaten her three days before her death. The defence argues that the prosecution has no eyewitness to show who gave the poison. How does the law deal with this gap?
1. AThe burden stays on the prosecution throughout
2. BThe husband must be acquitted without direct proof
3. CThe court presumes the harasser caused it
4. DThe case is converted to death by negligence
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Question 13 · Medium
Under BNS Section 116, consider these injuries: 1. An upper incisor knocked out by a blow. 2. A contusion of the thigh that heals in 10 days with no other effect. 3. Permanent loss of hearing in one ear after a slap. 4. A permanent disfiguring scar on the cheek from a blade. Which of these are grievous hurt?
1. A1, 3 and 4 only
2. B1, 2 and 4 only
3. C2, 3 and 4 only
4. D1 and 3 only
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Question 14 · Medium
Six months after an assault with an iron rod during a land dispute, a lorry driver remains in a persistent vegetative state at the medical college; neurologists find no prospect of recovery. The medical board's report goes to the investigating officer. Under which provision of the BNS, and with what punishment, will the assailant be tried?
1. ABNS 106(1): imprisonment up to 5 years
2. BBNS 115: imprisonment up to 1 year
3. CBNS 117(3): rigorous imprisonment of at least 10 years
4. DBNS 117: imprisonment up to 7 years only
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Question 15 · Medium
At a medical college hostel party, a student drinks heavily, becomes drowsy and cannot stand. A fellow student inserts his fingers into her vagina while she is in this state. She reports the next morning; examination shows minor abrasions of the labia minora. How is his act classified under the BNS?
1. AVoluntarily causing hurt
2. BSexual harassment only
3. CRape under Section 63
4. DAssault on a woman to outrage her modesty
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Question 16 · Hard
A construction worker was hit on the back with a wooden plank in a fight on 10 August 2024. X-rays and ultrasound show no fracture or internal injury, but severe back pain keeps him in hospital and unable to work for 18 days, as recorded in his case sheet. The medical officer who treated him is called as a prosecution witness. At the trial, the defence argues that the injury is simple hurt because the law requires 20 days of incapacity. How should the medical officer classify the injury in his evidence?
1. ASimple hurt: no bone or organ was injured
2. BGrievous hurt only if surgery was needed
3. CGrievous hurt: the BNS period is now 15 days
4. DSimple hurt: 20 days were not completed
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Question 17 · Hard
Brought to the casualty in Lucknow by her mother, a girl of 11 describes repeated vaginal penetration by her maternal uncle, who lives with the family. Examination shows a healed tear of the hymen at 6 o'clock and a fresh perineal abrasion. Under the POCSO Act, how is this offence best classified?
1. ASexual assault
2. BAggravated sexual assault by a relative
3. CPenetrative sexual assault
4. DAggravated penetrative sexual assault
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Question 18 · Easy
Four men take turns to rape a woman in a parked lorry. Under the BNS, what is the minimum term of imprisonment for each of them?
1. ASeven years
2. BFourteen years
3. CTen years
4. DTwenty years
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Question 19 · Medium
A shopkeeper stabbed in the forearm with a kitchen knife during a dispute has a 3 cm incised wound; tendons, vessels and nerves are intact. It is sutured in the casualty and heals in 7 days, and he returns to work at once. How should the injury and offence be classified under the BNS?
1. ASimple hurt, BNS 115 only
2. BHurt by a dangerous weapon, BNS 118
3. CGrievous hurt, BNS 116
4. DGrievous hurt causing disability, BNS 117(3)
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Question 20 · Medium
Brought by his mother to the casualty, a schoolboy aged 15 says his tuition teacher sodomised him the previous evening. Examination shows a fresh fissure at the anal verge with tenderness. The police officer wants to know which law covers the offence. What is the correct answer?
1. ANo offence, as the victim is male
2. BBNS Section 117, voluntarily causing grievous hurt
3. CPOCSO Act, penetrative sexual assault
4. DBNS Section 63, rape
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Question 21 · Medium
A woman is brought to the casualty two hours after an assault by a known man. Examination shows a fresh tear of the posterior fourchette but an intact, elastic hymen; swabs are negative for spermatozoa and the accused claims he did not ejaculate. The investigating officer asks whether rape can be established. What is the correct legal position?
1. ARape needs semen in the vaginal swab
2. BWithout ejaculation the act is only an attempt
3. CRape cannot be proved unless the hymen is found to be ruptured
4. DPenetration to any extent is enough; emission is not needed
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Question 22 · Medium
During a sudden quarrel over water for their paddy fields in Thrissur, with no planning beforehand, two neighbours fight in the heat of passion; one hits the other once on the head with the spade handle he happens to be holding, and the man dies of a skull fracture. Neither took undue advantage or acted cruelly. Under which section is the accused most likely to be punished?
1. ABNS 105: culpable homicide not murder
2. BBNS 117: voluntary grievous hurt
3. CBNS 106(1): death by negligence
4. DBNS 103: murder, death or life term
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Question 23 · Medium
A woman who survived rape is brought at midnight to a private hospital in Pune. The front desk asks the family for an advance deposit before the casualty doctor sees her, and suggests they go to the government hospital. What does the law require of the hospital?
1. ATreat her after the family pays the deposit
2. BTreat her at once free of cost and inform the police
3. CTreat her only after the police have registered an FIR
4. DRefer her to the government hospital
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Question 24 · Hard
Overtaking at high speed on a blind curve at Kuthiran, a bus driver hits a scooter and the rider dies on the spot. The driver stops at once, takes the injured pillion rider to the nearest hospital in his bus, and reports the accident at the police station within the hour. The police ask the casualty doctor to record the injuries of both riders. There is no evidence that he intended harm or knew that death was likely. Under the BNS, which provision applies, and what is the maximum term of imprisonment?
1. ABNS 106(1): up to 5 years and fine
2. BBNS 105: up to life imprisonment
3. CBNS 106(2): up to 10 years and fine
4. DBNS 106(1): up to 2 years and fine
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Question 25 · Medium
Near midnight on the national highway at Kalamassery, a car driven at high speed in the wrong lane knocks down and kills a pedestrian. The driver speeds away and does not report the accident to the police or a magistrate; CCTV traces the car the next day. Under the BNS, what is the maximum punishment for the driver's offence?
1. AUp to 10 years and fine, under BNS 106(2)
2. BDeath or life imprisonment, under BNS 103
3. CUp to 2 years and fine, under BNS 106(1)
4. DUp to 5 years and fine, under BNS 106(1)
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10 more BNS offences: hurt, homicide, sexual offences and dowry death questions

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BNS offences: hurt, homicide, sexual offences and dowry death

During the medico-legal examination of an adult survivor of rape, the accused's lawyer later argues that she did not scream or fight back, and that the absence of injuries on her body proves consent. The doctor is asked about this in court. What is the legal position?

The school counsellor refers a girl of 13 to the CHC after she says a neighbour repeatedly touched her breasts and thighs with sexual intent when she visited his shop. There was no penetration, and examination finds no injury. Which offence under the POCSO Act does this describe?

Which section of the BNS defines hurt as causing bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person?

Under the BNS, how long must severe bodily pain or inability to follow ordinary pursuits last for hurt to become grievous?

Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the punishment for murder is laid down in which section?

A woman tells the casualty medical officer that her husband and mother-in-law have beaten and starved her for months to force her parents to give money. She is alive, with old bruises. Which BNS offence does this conduct point to?

Brought to the casualty in Lucknow by her mother, a girl of 11 describes repeated vaginal penetration by her maternal uncle, who lives with the family. Examination shows a healed tear of the hymen at 6 o'clock and a fresh perineal abrasion. Under the POCSO Act, how is this offence best classified?

Four men take turns to rape a woman in a parked lorry. Under the BNS, what is the minimum term of imprisonment for each of them?

A shopkeeper stabbed in the forearm with a kitchen knife during a dispute has a 3 cm incised wound; tendons, vessels and nerves are intact. It is sutured in the casualty and heals in 7 days, and he returns to work at once. How should the injury and offence be classified under the BNS?

Brought by his mother to the casualty, a schoolboy aged 15 says his tuition teacher sodomised him the previous evening. Examination shows a fresh fissure at the anal verge with tenderness. The police officer wants to know which law covers the offence. What is the correct answer?

A woman who survived rape is brought at midnight to a private hospital in Pune. The front desk asks the family for an advance deposit before the casualty doctor sees her, and suggests they go to the government hospital. What does the law require of the hospital?