Section 120 BNS: Hurt or Grievous Hurt to Extort Confession or Compel Restoration of Property
Section 120 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) punishes voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt for coercive purposes such as extracting a confession or information, compelling restoration of property or valuable security, satisfying a claim or demand, or obtaining information that may lead to restoration of property or valuable security.
Text of Section 120 BNS
Section 120(1): Whoever voluntarily causes hurt for the purpose of extorting from the sufferer or from any person interested in the sufferer, any confession or any information which may lead to the detection of an offence or misconduct, or for the purpose of constraining the sufferer or any person interested in the sufferer to restore or to cause the restoration of any property or valuable security or to satisfy any claim or demand, or to give information which may lead to the restoration of any property or valuable security, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Section 120(2): Whoever voluntarily causes grievous hurt for any purpose referred to in sub-section (1), shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Statutory illustrations
(a) A, a police officer, tortures Z in order to induce Z to confess that he committed a crime. A is guilty of an offence under this section.
(b) A, a police officer, tortures B to induce him to point out where certain stolen property is deposited. A is guilty of an offence under this section.
(c) A, a revenue officer, tortures Z in order to compel him to pay certain arrears of revenue due from Z. A is guilty of an offence under this section.
What Section 120 BNS covers
Section 120 is directed at the use of physical hurt as a means of coercion. The section applies where the purpose of causing hurt is to obtain a confession or information that may lead to detection of an offence or misconduct, to compel restoration of property or valuable security, to satisfy a claim or demand, or to obtain information that may lead to restoration of property or valuable security.
Difference between Section 120(1) and Section 120(2)
| Provision | Nature of injury | Purpose | Punishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section 120(1) | Hurt | Extort confession or information, compel restoration of property or valuable security, satisfy a claim or demand, or obtain restoration-related information | Imprisonment up to 7 years and fine |
| Section 120(2) | Grievous hurt | Any purpose referred to in Section 120(1) | Imprisonment up to 10 years and fine |
Meaning of "hurt" under Section 114 BNS
Section 114 BNS provides that whoever causes bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person is said to cause hurt. Section 120(1) applies when such hurt is voluntarily caused for one of the coercive purposes specified in the section.
Meaning of "grievous hurt" under Section 116 BNS
Section 116 BNS identifies the kinds of injury treated as grievous hurt. These include emasculation; permanent deprivation of sight or hearing; deprivation or permanent impairment of a member or joint; permanent disfiguration of the head or face; fracture or dislocation of a bone or tooth; and hurt which endangers life or causes the victim to be in severe bodily pain or unable to follow ordinary pursuits for fifteen days.
Meaning of "valuable security"
Section 2(31) BNS defines "valuable security" as a document which is, or purports to be, a document by which a legal right is created, extended, transferred, restricted, extinguished or released, or by which a person acknowledges a legal liability or acknowledges that the person does not have a certain legal right.
Meaning of "voluntarily"
Section 2(33) BNS explains that a person causes an effect "voluntarily" when the person causes it by means intended to cause that effect, or by means which the person knew or had reason to believe were likely to cause that effect.
Essential ingredients of Section 120 BNS
- The accused must voluntarily cause hurt or grievous hurt.
- The hurt must be caused for one or more purposes specifically stated in Section 120(1).
- The purpose may be to extort a confession or information leading to detection of an offence or misconduct.
- The purpose may be to compel restoration of property or valuable security, satisfy a claim or demand, or obtain information leading to restoration.
- For Section 120(2), the injury must amount to grievous hurt under Section 116 BNS.
Section 120 and custodial coercion
The statutory illustrations expressly include examples involving police officers who torture a person to obtain a confession or to discover stolen property, and a revenue officer who tortures a person to compel payment of arrears. These illustrations make clear that the provision applies to coercive hurt by public officials when the statutory purpose is present.
Section 120 and related BNS provisions
Section 119 BNS deals with hurt or grievous hurt caused to extort property or valuable security or to constrain a person to an illegal act. Section 120 more specifically addresses hurt or grievous hurt used to extort confession or information, compel restoration of property or valuable security, or satisfy a claim or demand.
Other related provisions include Section 115 BNS on voluntarily causing hurt, Section 117 BNS on voluntarily causing grievous hurt, and Section 118 BNS on hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means.
Frequently asked questions
What is the punishment under Section 120(1) BNS?
Section 120(1) provides imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and fine.
What is the punishment under Section 120(2) BNS?
Where grievous hurt is voluntarily caused for a purpose referred to in Section 120(1), the punishment may extend to ten years of imprisonment of either description, together with fine.
Does Section 120 BNS cover torture to obtain a confession?
Yes. One of the statutory illustrations specifically states that a police officer who tortures a person to induce a confession is guilty of an offence under this section.
Does Section 120 apply only to police officers?
No. The operative wording applies to "whoever" voluntarily causes the required hurt for a specified purpose. The statutory illustrations include police and revenue officers, but the text of the section is not confined to those categories.
Last reviewed: 8 September 2026.