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Hari Singh Gond (2008)

Definition

Indian Supreme Court ruling setting out the four elements for establishing the IPC § 84 (now BNS § 22) defence: mental illness at the time of the act; rendering the accused incapable of knowing; direct causal connection; burden on the accused on balance of probabilities.

Related terms

Appreciation vs Knowledge
The MPC and Canadian Criminal Code use 'appreciate' rather than 'know,' requiring a deeper, emotionally integrated understanding of the nature or wrongfulness...
BNS § 22
India's insanity defence provision in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, replacing IPC § 84: an act is not an offence if done...
Durham Rule
The 1954 US Court of Appeals (DC Circuit) product test: an accused is not criminally responsible if the unlawful act was the...
Guilty but Mentally Ill (GBMI)
A US verdict alternative introduced in some states from 1975: the defendant is found guilty (and sentenced) but is entitled to psychiatric...
IDRA 1984
Insanity Defense Reform Act 1984: US federal legislation passed after John Hinckley's acquittal that eliminated the volitional prong, raised the standard to...
M'Naghten Rules
The 1843 English House of Lords formulation providing that a defendant is not criminally responsible if, at the time of the offence,...
MPC § 4.01 Substantial-Capacity Test
The American Law Institute's 1962 insanity formulation: a person lacks criminal responsibility if, as a result of mental disease or defect, they...

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