Mens Rea
Definition
The guilty mind: intention, knowledge, recklessness, or negligence as required by the section charged. BNS Section 3 sets out general explanations of culpable mental state.
Related terms
- Actus Reus
- The guilty act: the physical conduct, the consequence, and the surrounding circumstances that the law forbids. Without a voluntary act there is...
- Civil Wrong (Tort)
- A breach of a private duty where the remedy is damages or injunction rather than imprisonment. A negligent driver may face both...
- Crime (Legal)
- An act or omission punishable by penal law; under BNS 2023 Section 2(15), an 'offence' is any act made punishable by the...
- Criminology
- The scientific study of crime, its causes and distribution across populations, the operation of criminal justice institutions, and strategies for prevention and...
- Strict Liability
- A narrow class of offences (food adulteration, motor vehicle regulation, NDPS Section 35 presumption) where mens rea is presumed or not required.
Explained in
- Crime, Criminology and the Classification of OffencesThe guilty mind: intention, knowledge, recklessness, or negligence as required by the section charged. BNS Section 3 sets out general explanations of culpable...