Grievous Hurt
Definition
Hurt falling within any of the eight clauses of BNS 2023 Section 116 (emasculation, vision loss, hearing loss, member or joint deprivation, permanent disfigurement of head or face, fracture or dislocation, life-endangering or 15-day disability).
- Statute
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, Section 116
- Clause count
- Eight defined clauses
- Includes
- Emasculation, vision or hearing loss, fracture or dislocation
- Disability threshold
- 20 days or life-endangering injury
Common questions
How does grievous hurt differ from simple hurt under Indian law?+
Simple hurt covers any bodily pain, disease, or infirmity without meeting a specific severity threshold, while grievous hurt requires the injury to fall into one of the eight defined clauses in Section 116, such as permanent disfigurement or a disability lasting 20 days or more, which carries a significantly higher statutory punishment.
What role does a medico-legal examination play in classifying an injury as grievous?+
The examining doctor documents the injury type, affected structures, and expected duration of disability or permanence, and it is this clinical assessment, matched against the eight statutory clauses, that the court relies on to decide whether the hurt legally qualifies as grievous rather than simple.
Related terms
- Abraded Collar
- 1 to 3 mm rim of grazed skin around a firearm entry wound caused by the bullet stretching and scraping the skin...
- Abrasion
- A wound where friction or tangential force removes the superficial layers of skin without penetrating the full thickness. Abrasions preserve the direction...
- Chop Wound
- Combined incised and lacerated injury from a heavy edged weapon (axe, kulhari), often involving underlying bone.
- Contusion (Bruise)
- Blunt-force trauma that ruptures small vessels beneath an intact skin surface. Blood collects in the tissue. Location, size, and shape can indicate...
- Defence Wound
- Injury sustained while warding off an attack, typically incised or stab wounds on the palms, fingers, ulnar borders of forearms or back...
- Incised Wound
- A wound produced by a sharp-edged implement. Margins are clean, without contusion or bridging. Depth is less than length in a classic...
- Injury
- Any harm whatever illegally caused to a person in body, mind, reputation or property (BNS 2023 Section 2(14), carrying forward IPC Section...
- Laceration
- A wound torn by blunt or shearing force, characterised by ragged, contused margins and tissue bridges crossing the wound depths. The distinction...
- Simple Hurt
- Any hurt that does not fall within the eight clauses of grievous hurt under BNS 2023 Section 116; punishable under Section 115.
- Stab (Punctured) Wound
- Wound produced by a pointed weapon where depth is greater than length on the skin; gives the best clue to weapon dimensions.
- Wound
- A breach of natural continuity of any tissue, living or dead, caused by physical or mechanical violence.