Current Legal Update

Kerala HC Cites Valmiki’s Transformation to Highlight Criminal Reformation

The article discusses the results of the case analyzed by the High Court on the issue of the constant and infamous designation of someone as a rowdy and the open disclosure of their criminal record. It throws some light on the reformation inclined focus of the court, the right to privacy of a citizen and the delicate position of police surveillance, which eventually decides to have the name of a petitioner off a rowdy list after a long history of well-behaved behavior.

CRIMINAL LAW

Section 24 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 Holds Individuals Accountable for Offenses Requiring Intent or Knowledge Committed While Intoxicated

Section 24 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, addresses the issue of criminal liability in cases where an offense requires specific intent or knowledge, and the act is committed under intoxication. According to this provision, if an individual voluntarily becomes intoxicated and commits such an offense, they are held legally responsible as if they possessed the required intent or knowledge, regardless of their impaired state. However, if the intoxication was involuntary—meaning the substance was administered without their knowledge or against their will—this may serve as a defense, acknowledging that the individual lacked the capacity to form the necessary intent or knowledge due to the involuntary intoxication.