Section 448 of IPC- Punishment for House Trespass

Section 448- Punishment for House trespass-

“Whoever commits house-trespass shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.”

Before going to House trespass, we need to know what is trespass. And, in what circumstances trespass is criminal trespass. Ordinarily, trespass is a civil wrong for which a defendant has the right to sue. Lord Macaulay, defined ” trespass is every usurpation, however slight, of dominion over property’. But only when it includes criminal intention, it becomes Criminal trespass. Whereas, Section 441 on Indian Penal Code defines criminal trespass.

Section 441- Criminal Trespass

“Whoever enters into or upon property in the possession of another with intent to commit an offence or to intimidate, insult or annoy any person in possession of such property, or having lawfully entered into or upon such property, unlawfully remains there with intent thereby to intimidate, insult or annoy any such person, or with intent to commit an offence, is said to commit “criminal trespass”.

The only difference between trespass and criminal trespass is Intention. A trespass with an intention to commit an offense is criminal trespass. The object of Section 441 is to protect the possession of the property. This section is concerned with possession, but not with ownership Sahebrao Kisan Jadhav Vs State of Maharashtra[1].  It is not relevant if the person has entered the property lawfully or unlawfully. Lawfully entering a property and staying there unlawfully with an intention to commit an offense, is criminal trespass.

Further, Section 447 lays down the punishment for Criminal trespass. Punishment for Criminal Trespass is imprisonment of up to 3 months or fine up to Rs.500 or both.

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Section 442- House trespass

“Whoever commits criminal trespass by entering into or remaining in any building, tent or vessel used as a human dwelling or any building used as a place for worship, or as a place for the custody of property, is said to commit “house-trespass”.

The offense of house-trespass is an aggravated form of criminal trespass. The House trespass must have all the ingredients of criminal trespass. moreover, in addition to the element of criminal trespass, the house-trespass occurs at entering or remaining on the property. Here, Property includes any building tent, vessel, place of worship or any place for Human Dwelling.

The building here constitutes any place which can give protection to any human or any person dwelling inside it. Or any property placed inside it. The mere surrounding of any place by fencing or any wire of any opens space does not construe building. And trespass upon such space is not House-trespass.

However, in order to attract House trespass, an illegal entry upon the premises is necessary. A person does not commit house-trespass if he enters the property with permission or consent.

Rajmogali Ashayya Arkal and others. vs. Govind Hanumantu Nandlal and Anr.[2]

Punishment

As stated earlier, House trespass is an aggravated form of criminal trespass. So the punishment is also more than ordinary trespass. Punishment for House trespass can extend up to one year or fine up to 1000 or both. Moreover, this offense is compoundable, bailable and cognizable :

• Compoundable Offence

Those offenses in which compromise can be done at the instance of the party, are compoundable in nature. Hence, a compromise is available in the offense of House trespass. If the aggrieved party gives consent, without any force or undue influence, to compromise. In such a case, they can avoid a trial.

• Cognizable offense

In Cognizable offense, police have the authority to arrest the person without any warrant. Also, police can start an investigation without the order of the court. Here, police can arrest a person on the mere complaint of aggrieved and/or founding accused on the property. Police do not require any warrant or order from the court.

• Bailable Offence

In an offense, police have the authority to release an offender on bail. The offense of House-trespass in enumerated under the list of Bailable offences. Hence, a person accused of House-trespass has the option to get bail. One can provide for security to get the bail.

Conclusion

A person commits House-trespass upon entering any property of others with a criminal intention. For entering, it is not necessary to enter completely, but any part of the body is sufficient to construe House-trespass. The Offence is Compoundable as it is easy to compromise outside the court and the nature of the crime is less serious as it does not harm the body of the individual. Whereas, Cognizable as the police requires to act as soon as possible on the complaint. If the police have to wait for the warrant it will be too late.

Section 304 a – Death by Negligence : Law and Legality

Indian Penal Code: Section 304A

India’s criminal system follows the Indian Penal Code in matters of dealing with crime. The framework of IPC governs crime with justice and punishment. Owing to the influence of English Law, the original Indian Penal Code had provisions for culpable homicide under Section 299. Section 299 deals with any act or bodily injury caused by any person with an intention of causing death. Section 304 of IPC deals with the provision of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. This section involves crimes perpetrated with the knowledge of causing death but without any intention of doing the same.

The original Penal Code did not have any provision for dealing with death caused by negligence.  In 1870,  Act 27 of the Indian Penal Code added Section 304 a and b as an amendment. The following article is going to discuss Section 304 (a) under IPC in detail.

Section 304(a) states as follows:

“Whoever causes the death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or both.”

Any act under Section 304(a) is a bailable offence under the IPC. In such a case, the Court allows the defendant to make bail by paying a surety amount along with a bail bond at the police station. This offence is also compoundable which means that the plaintiff and the defendant can reach an agreement between themselves through their counsel and avoid trial. This often occurs in cases involving powerful Companies who would settle instead of going through a public trial.

Negligent Homicide: The Parameters of Law

The law sets parameters but also keeps spaces open for interpretation because each case has a different context.  Section 304(a) uses the words “rash or negligent act” as the deciding elements to charge any person under this section Therefore it is important to understand these terms and its various connotations.

Firstly, the Act being mentioned above should be causa causans,i.e, the primary cause of death and not merely causa sine qua non,i.e, an indirect act. Therefore, the relationship between the act and the death or injury resulted by it should be direct for the plaintiff to win the case.

Secondly,  there is a difference in the responsibility of the defendant vis-i vis the plaintiff between a negligent act and a rash act. A negligent act is a breach of duty that causes harm/damage to another person unintentionally. On the contrary, a rash act is the culmination of overhasty decisions and recklessness on the part of the defendant.

Thirdly,  a rash act is generally a criminal act. A negligent act could be civil or criminal depending on the gravity and the nature of the crime along with the degree of intention or lack thereof in a particular case.

Types of Negligence

There could be many ways of partaking in criminal negligence. There are two major criteria that come to the forefront while discussing Criminal Negligence:

Medical Negligence

Medical negligence is a breach of duty on the part of the defendant who has a legal as well as a moral duty to look after his/her patient. The act of “Negligence” is open to interpretation based on the actions of the defendant in each case. A medical practitioner is liable for negligence if he/she deviates from “the standard treatment” recommended for taking care of his/her patient causing death or injury of the patient. A medical practitioner can be a doctor as well as a nurse. Medical negligence cases can be civil as well if the hospital as a whole is held accountable for malpractice. For instance, using faulty equipment or expired medicines in the hospital.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

The incident of a motor vehicle crash leading to the death of people will not be enough to charge someone under Section 304(a) for negligent driving. The charge of criminally negligent driving requires the driver to be solely or entirely responsible for the accident because of their negligence or rashness. This, however, requires interpretation on part of the court; taking into account the level of rashness and deliberation in an action that led to an accident. The court has to take into account that if one decides to drive under influence, they are aware of the consequences of their decision. The court also has to take into account the degree of damage done by undertaking that reckless decision.

Corporate Negligence

In matters of corporate negligence, a Company is liable under Section 304(a) if it takes any action that injures their consumers, creates an unsafe environment for their employees or cheats their shareholders.  Some of the crimes that come under corporate negligence cases are:

• air and water pollution caused by industries;
• adulteration of food by food companies;
• involving themselves in different lobbies for their own profit by exchanging money with political parties;
• releasing confidential information without permission;
• recording personal conversations and breaching privacy;
• harming or cheating the shareholders’ out of their profit.

The burden of Proof and Defense against Section 304(a)

In claims of negligence, it is extremely important to prove that there was indeed a breach of duty. In many cases of medical negligence, the professional might make a decision based on the complicated nature of the case presented to him/her. The burden of proof lies with the doctor to prove that they behaved in a reasonable way only in the interest of the patient.

The other arguments on which the defendant relies are as follows:

• contributory negligence: proving there was negligence on the part of the plaintiff;
• inevitable accident: proving that the death or injury caused was inevitable depending on the circumstances of the action;
• dangerous recreational activity: proving that the plaintiff’s injury is a result of partaking in a dangerous recreational activity like drugs. In such a case, the defendant will not be liable for any damages.
• illegal activity– proving that both the plaintiff and the defendant were engaged in an illegal business when the plaintiff was injured. This renders the case void.

In civil negligence cases, the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff to prove that there was a breach of duty by the Company/Corporate. The breach of duty has to directly damage the plaintiff. In the case of powerful Companies, the plaintiffs should be ready to show concrete proof, including reliable testimonies and documents to reach a favourable verdict.

Section 304a IPC: Judgements

Some of the landmark judgements in cases related to Section 304(a) IPC:

 Jacob Mathew v State of Punjab [ANR 2005]

The plaintiffs, in this case, were the family of Jivan Lal who was admitted and died in CMC Hospital, Ludhiana. The two doctors who attended the deceased were Jacob Matthew and Allen Joseph. The doctors had to face the charge of criminal negligence. The plaintiffs claimed negligence on the doctor’s part while procuring oxygen cylinder for their father. The defence argued that the patient was at the last stage of cancer. He was not supposed to be admitted to any hospital in lieu of his degrading health.

The Supreme Court argued in favour of the doctors stating that the plaintiff must prove that the medical professionals acted “in disregard of the life and safety of the patient.” A medical professional cannot be held liable if they are following the accepted procedure of medical practice. They cannot be reprimanded for not using an alternative method that might or might not have brought the desired result. They can only be charged in either of the two conditions

• if they do not possess the skill to match their profession.
• if they did not show reasonable competence while discharging their duty; the standard set here would be of an ordinary competent person.

Somabhai Mangalbhai Dabhi vs State of Gujarat [1988]

The Session Judge convicted the accused of the death of a 10-year-old girl. He was charged under section 304 (a) of IPC for the negligent driving of a motor bus. The defence claimed that the girl entered the road out of nowhere. There was insufficient evidence of the girl coming out of nowhere and also the fact that the driver was driving on the wrong side. Therefore, the sessions court sentenced the accused with two years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) along with 500 rupees fine. The Supreme court did allow probation after regarding the context of the case.

Conclusion

The provision of Section 304(a) under the IPC is important to offer a measure of justice to the claimants. It might give them some closure or at the very least compensate them if there has been a breach of duty that led to irreversible damage or loss of life/property.

304A IPC BAILABLE304A IPC JUDGMENTS304A IPC PUNISHMENT

Most Effective Ways To Overcome Rectification Deed - All You Need To Know

What is Deed of Rectification

Amendment or Confirmation deeds are otherwise called Rectification deeds. They are entered between two parties to redress any blunders made in a past deed. These blunders may incorporate a typing mistake, an incorrectly spelled name, a blunder in the property depiction, or some other mistake in the execution of the reports. These oversights can be later redressed through a Rectification or Confirmation deed.

Read Also: Promissory Note Meaning in India

Following are the conditions under which rectification deeds are made

(a) The mistake must be real.

(b) It must be coincidental, not deliberate.

(c) All the parties must consent to the rectification thereof.

Section 17 of the Indian Registration Act, 1908—-

The Indian Registration Act, 1908 governs Rectification deeds. As indicated by Section 17 of the Act, any deed affirming any interest for an immovable property should be enlisted. The affirmation might be given either by passive consent, by impediment, or by deeds.  Rectification deeds attract stamp duty. If the main document is registered or to be registered, then it mandatory for the corresponding confirmation deed to also get registered.

The content of a Deed of Rectification

a) Name and address of the parties involved.

b) Details of the original deed and description of the rectification to be made.

c) Must have clear and concise in language to avoid future complications.

d) Should not alter the scope of the original document or violate any regulations.

e) Must not deprive the party of their rights.

The procedure involved in Rectification deeds

The parties must first mutually agree to the deed and then proceed to a duly executed document.

The parties are required to pay rectification deed registration charges and stamp duty as per the laws of the State. Charges are Rs/-100 for each.

The deed then has to go to the sub-registrar’s office where the original deed has been duly registered.

If by any chance there is an error of any kind in the rectification deed, a supplementary rectification deed shall be executed by paying stamp duty and registration charges, provided that the error must be genuine, inadvertent and not intentional in nature. The parties must agree to the same thereof.

A rectification deed can rectify only factual errors and not those which involve errors of law such as,

a)  Deficient stamp duty
b) A jurisdictional error of Sub-Registry office
c) The basic character of the transaction e.g. Sale transaction cannot be corrected as Gift
d) It is meant to rectify defects in the original deed NOT to change the nature of the transaction OR Intention of the parties involved

In case the parties involved do not agree to the said rectification or amendment of the documents executed, the aggrieved party may file a suit under Section 26 of the Specific Relief Act, 1963. The court, by virtue of its power, can direct the rectification of an instrument if the deed does not express any real intention of the parties.

Format

DEED OF RECTIFICATION

This DEED OF RECTIFICATION is executed at                                                                        this the             day               2004  between

s/o                                                      residing at

hereinafter referred to the RECTIFIER/VENDOR which term includes  its successors and assigns of the ONE PART;

AND

s/o                                     residing at

hereinafter referred to as PURCHASER  which term includes his heirs, executors, administrators, representatives and assigns of the OTHER PART

WHEREAS the property more fully described in the Schedule hereunder was sold by the Rectifier/Vendor in favour of the purchaser herein in and by sale deed dated and registered as Document No. of Book1 volume filed at pages to on the file of the Sub Registrar of            hereinafter referred as the Principal Deed.

WHEREAS in the Principal Deed dated                 in line     of page No.      and inline

of page     the Survey number of the property was wrongly typed as             instead of              .

WHEREAS this typographical error has come to the knowledge of the above said Purchaser and requested the Rectifier/Vendor to rectify the same.

NOW, THIS DEED OF RECTIFICATION WITNESSETH AS FOLLOWS:

That  is the Principal Deed dated      in line       of page No.    and in line     of page No.   the Survey number  of the property conveyed is wrongly typed as       is rectified as

by this Deed of Rectification.

That as rectified as aforesaid, the Principal sale Deed shall remain in full force and effect.

That no consideration has been received by the RECTIFIER/VENDOR for executing this Deed of Rectification.

SCHEDULE OF PROPERTY

(As in the Principal Deed)

SCHEDULE OF PROPERTY

(Rectified by this  deed of Rectification)

Present Market Value of the Property is Rs.

In Witness whereof the RECTIFIER/VENDOR and the  PURCHASER  have set their hands on the day and month year first above written in the presence of

WITNESS                                                                               RECTIFIER/VENDOR

                                                                                                     PURCHASER

No Time Limit—-

There is no time bar for the execution of a rectification or correction deed. At any point in time, when a mistake is discovered, a rectification deed may be executed.

Hence, these deeds are a kind of correction templates which give ample room for the parties to understand and change any error, be it a wrongly spelled name or an error in typing, which might have occurred accidentally.

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