IPC 337 → BNS 125(a): Hurt by Rash Act

IPC 337 (now BNS 125(a)): Causing Hurt by an Act Endangering Life or Safety

IPC Section 337 punishes causing hurt to any person by an act so rash or negligent as to endanger human life or the personal safety of others. From 1 July 2024 it continues as Section 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.

Punishment under BNS 125(a) (same as IPC 337)

Imprisonment up to 6 months, or fine, or both. The penalty for simple hurt by a rash or negligent act is unchanged from old IPC 337.

What changed from IPC to BNS?

The BNS gathers the rash and negligent-hurt offences into a single Section 125; simple hurt of the kind in old IPC 337 is dealt with under BNS 125(a). The numbering moved from IPC 337 to BNS 125(a); the offence and punishment are otherwise the same. New FIRs cite BNS 125(a).

Worked example

A rides his motorcycle on a footpath at high speed and clips a pedestrian, causing a minor injury. The rash act endangered safety and caused simple hurt, so it falls under BNS 125(a) (simple hurt), not the graver grievous-hurt clause in BNS 125(b).

Practical notes

• For advocates: the dividing line from grievous hurt by a rash or negligent act (IPC 338) is the nature of the injury. Rash-driving facts often also attract rash driving on a public way (IPC 279 to BNS 281), and a death converts the matter to causing death by negligence (IPC 304A to BNS 106).
• These offences are typically bailable, so early settlement or compounding is often the pragmatic route.