BNS Section 116: Grievous Hurt, the Definition (IPC 320 Mapping) (2026)

Explainer · Criminal Law · BNS

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

Section 116 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) defines grievous hurt. It is a definition, not an offence, so it carries no punishment on its own. The BNS has been in force since 1 July 2024. Section 116 replaced Section 320 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and lists the eight kinds of hurt that count as grievous. The offence of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, with its punishment, is in Section 117 of the BNS. If you still look up "section 320 IPC", this is the provision you now need for the definition. This explainer sets out the eight categories, how they map to the old law, and how the definition is used. Last verified October 2026.

01Why the section number changed

For generations, the definition of grievous hurt sat in Section 320 of the Indian Penal Code. Since 1 July 2024 the IPC is replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the definition now sits in Section 116 of the BNS.

This matters in daily practice. A charge for an offence committed on or after 1 July 2024 is framed under the BNS, so medical and legal arguments on whether an injury is grievous now point to Section 116, not Section 320. An older matter keeps its IPC number, because the law that applies is the law on the date of the offence.

02What Section 116 is, a definition

Section 116 does not create an offence. It defines the term "grievous hurt" by setting out a closed list of eight kinds of hurt. Only a hurt that falls within one of these eight categories is designated as grievous. Every other hurt is simple hurt, dealt with under the ordinary hurt provisions.

The definition is the gateway. Whether an injury is grievous decides which offence and which punishment apply, so the medical evidence and the fit with these eight categories often decide the charge.

03The eight kinds of grievous hurt

Section 116 designates the following eight kinds of hurt as grievous:

• Emasculation.
• Permanent loss of the sight of either eye.
• Permanent loss of the hearing of either ear.
• Loss of any member or joint.
• Destruction or permanent impairing of the powers of any member or joint.
• Permanent disfiguration of the head or face.
• Fracture or dislocation of a bone or tooth.
• Any hurt that endangers life, or that causes the sufferer to be in severe bodily pain, or unable to follow his ordinary pursuits, for a period of fifteen days.

The list is exhaustive. A hurt that does not fall into any of these eight categories is not grievous, however painful it may feel at the time.

04Old to new: IPC 320 to BNS 116

Section 320 of the IPC is now Section 116 of the BNS. The eight categories are carried over.

Because the categories are carried over, case law under Section 320 still guides how Section 116 is read.

05No punishment of its own

Section 116 carries no punishment, because it is only a definition. A person is not charged "under Section 116" as a standalone offence. Instead, the definition feeds into the offences that use it.

• Voluntarily causing grievous hurt is punished under Section 117 of the BNS.
• Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, and grievous hurt to extort property or confession, are dealt with under their own separate sections.

So the classification of a case, whether cognizable, bailable, and the trial court, follows the specific offence charged, not Section 116.

06A note on the common search for this number

The BNS renumbered the criminal law heavily, and it also kept the useful split between definition and offence. Section 116 is the definition. Section 117 is the offence. Reading them together is what tells you whether an act is punishable and how heavily.

Always read the bare text and pair the definition with the right offence section before you draft a charge or an application.

07Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

Whether an injury is grievous within Section 116 is fought case by case on the medical evidence, and the finding decides both the charge and the sentence. To build that argument you want to read how courts have slotted real injuries into the eight categories, under the old Section 320 and now under Section 116. A single Claw search runs across more than 30 crore judgments and lets you follow the cases, orders and hearings that cite this provision, by party or by advocate name, over 9,102 courts, benches and forums, with the first results back in under five seconds. The related offence of grievous hurt to extort property is covered by Section 119 of the BNS.

Your case files stay yours, because Claw does not feed customer documents into training its AI models. Open a free Claw account and start pulling grievous-hurt matters by the party or the advocate on the brief. To search the wider body of law, see case search across Indian courts.

08Sources and further reading

• India Code (official text of the BNS, 2023): indiacode.nic.in
• PRS Legislative Research (BNS overview and IPC comparison): prsindia.org
• Section 116, BNS (bare text): devgan.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

This explainer is general information, not legal advice. The law changes through amendments and judgments, so check the current text and take advice from counsel before you act.

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