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IPC 302 vs BNS 103: Murder & Mob Lynching — Complete Comparison (2024)
IPC Section 302 (Murder) transitions to BNS Section 103, which retains Death/Life imprisonment AND introduces India's first dedicated mob lynching clause under sub-section (2).
Legal Commentary
For 163 years, IPC Section 302 defined murder punishment in India. Under the BNS, this is Section 103. Sub-section (1) is identical to the IPC: Death or Life for murder. The transformative addition is Section 103(2) — India's first codified mob lynching law. If five or more persons acting together commit murder motivated by the victim's identity (caste, religion, race, community, language, gender, personal belief), every member of the group faces the Death Penalty or Life Imprisonment — regardless of who personally delivered the fatal blow. This directly responds to the Supreme Court's 2018 directive in Tehseen Poonawalla v. Union of India, which called on Parliament to specifically legislate against mob lynching. The Rarest of Rare doctrine (Bachan Singh, 1980) continues to govern when Death vs Life is imposed. Crucially, BNS 302 is now "Wounding Religious Feelings" — lawyers and students must always specify the Act name (BNS vs IPC) when citing "Section 302".
Explanation
IPC Section 302 (Murder) transitions to BNS Section 103, which retains Death/Life imprisonment AND introduces India's first dedicated mob lynching clause under sub-section (2).
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