OF PUNISHMENTSCentral

Section 6 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

In calculating fractions of terms of punishment, imprisonment for life shall be reckoned as equivalent to imprisonment for twenty years unless otherwise provided.

Summary

This section explains how to calculate parts or fractions of a punishment sentence.
It sets a specific number of years to represent life imprisonment for math purposes.
This rule applies unless another specific law provides a different way to calculate the fraction.

Practical examples

1A law says the punishment for trying to help a criminal is one fourth of the main crime's sentence. If the main crime is punished by life imprisonment, the court uses Section 6 to treat life as 20 years, making the fraction 5 years.

2Vikram is convicted of a crime where the penalty is half of the maximum term. Since the maximum is life imprisonment, the authorities use Section 6 to calculate his sentence as 10 years.

FAQ

1. How many years is life imprisonment counted as for calculating fractions in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?

Under Section 6 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, life imprisonment is reckoned as equivalent to twenty years for the purpose of calculating fractions of terms of punishment.

2. When does the 20-year rule for life imprisonment not apply under Section 6?

Section 6 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, states this calculation is used "unless otherwise provided" by another specific part of the law.

Test yourself

Q1.For the purpose of calculating fractions of punishment under Section 6 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, life imprisonment is equal to how many years?

Q2.Under Section 6 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, when would a court NOT use the 20-year rule for life imprisonment fractions?

Q3.A person is guilty of an offence where the punishment is "one-half of the longest term". If the longest term is life imprisonment, what is the sentence under Section 6 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023?

Q4.Does Section 6 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, change the actual length of a life imprisonment sentence to exactly 20 years?

5PreviousSection 5 Commutation of sentence.7NextSection 7 Sentence may be (in certain cases of imprisonment) wholly or partly rigorous or simple.

←Section 5 Section 7→