Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter VI: Of Offences Affecting the Human Body · Of hurt
Section 123: Causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence
In plain words
Giving someone poison, or a stupefying, intoxicating or unwholesome drug, intending to hurt them or to commit or help an offence, or knowing it is likely to cause hurt, is punishable with up to ten years in prison and a fine.
Example: Drugging a person's drink in order to rob them falls under this section.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
Whoever administers to or causes to be taken by any person any poison or any stupefying, intoxicating or unwholesome drug, or other thing with intent to cause hurt to such person, or with intent to commit or to facilitate the commission of an offence or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby cause hurt, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Corresponding sections were matched by comparing the wording of both official texts, and for the IPC and BNS, also against a published correspondence table. Wording, punishments and structure often changed, so read both sections before relying on the match.
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 25 August 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 123
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.