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Section 38 IPC — Persons concerned in criminal Act may be guilty of different offences

Indian Penal Code, 1860 · Official PDF page 14

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38. Persons concerned in criminal Act may be guilty of different offences.--Where several persons are engaged or concerned in the commission of a criminal act, they may be guilty of different offences by means of that act.

Illustration A attacks Z under such circumstances of grave provocation that his killing of Z would be only culpable homicide not amounting to murder. B, having ill-will towards Z and intending to kill him, and not having been subject to the provocation, assists A in killing Z. Here, though A and B are both engaged in causing Z's death, B is guilty of murder, and A is guilty only of culpable homicide.

Text extracted from the official PDF (Historical Ministry source copy; amendment cutoff not certified). Line breaks and footnote marks may differ; the PDF is the authority.

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