Punishment of person guilty of one of several offences, the judgment stating that it is doubtful of which
Full Text
10. Punishment of person guilty of one of several offences, the judgment stating that it is doubtful of which.
In all cases in which judgment is given that a person is guilty of one of several offences specified in the judgment, but that it is doubtful of which of these offences he is guilty, the offender shall be punished for the offence for which the lowest punishment is provided if the same punishment is not provided for all.
Plain English Summary
This section mandates that if it is doubtful which of several offences an offender is guilty of, they must be punished for the offence carrying the lowest punishment.
Key Legal Elements
- Applies when a person is found guilty of one of several offences.
- Requires that it is doubtful which of these offences they actually committed.
- Directs the court to impose the punishment of the offence with the lowest penalty.
Practical Note
This resolves ambiguity in sentencing in favor of the accused, applying the principle of lenity where there is uncertainty about the exact offense committed.
हिंदी पाठ
10. कई अपराधों में से एक के दोषी व्यक्ति के लिए दंड, जबकि निर्णय में यह कथित है कि यह संदेहास्पद है कि वह किस अपराध का दोषी है।
उन सभी मामलों में जिनमें यह निर्णय दिया जाता है कि कोई व्यक्ति निर्णय में निर्दिष्ट कई अपराधों में से किसी एक का दोषी है, किंतु यह संदेहास्पद है कि वह उन अपराधों में से किस अपराध का दोषी है, तो अपराधी को उस अपराध के लिए दंडित किया जाएगा जिसके लिए सबसे कम दंड का प्रावधान किया गया है, यदि सभी अपराधों के लिए एक जैसा दंड प्रदान नहीं किया गया है।