Punishments MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Punishments - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is unlimited but not excessive

Key Points

• Relevant Provision:
  • Section 63 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
• Legal Position:
  • When no specific maximum amount of fine is prescribed in the IPC for an offence, the fine is not capped by a statutory amount.
  • However, the court must ensure that the fine is not excessive or disproportionate to the offence or the means of the offender.
• Key Principle:
  • The fine is unlimited in quantum, but subject to judicial discretion.
  • The principle of fairness and reasonableness applies to prevent arbitrary punishment.
• Judicial Interpretation:
  • Courts have held that fines must be just, fair, and commensurate with the gravity of the offence and the offender's financial capacity

Additional Information

• Unlimited: Incomplete – must also be not excessive.
• Not exceeding ₹50,000: No such fixed limit under Section 63 IPC.
• Not exceeding ₹10,00,000: Incorrect – this is not a statutory cap under IPC.

The correct answer is Option 2

Key PointsSection 65 – Limit on Imprisonment for Default in Payment of Fine
When an offence is punishable with both imprisonment and fine, and the offender fails to pay the fine, the court may order imprisonment in default of payment.
However, this imprisonment cannot exceed one-fourth of the maximum term of imprisonment prescribed for that offence.

The correct answer is 'Sec. 73'

Key Points

• Section 73 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC):
  • Section 73 of the IPC provides for solitary confinement as a form of punishment.
  • It specifies that a person convicted of an offense punishable with rigorous imprisonment may be subjected to solitary confinement for a period not exceeding three months in the whole, depending on the term of the imprisonment.
  • Solitary confinement is the isolation of a prisoner in a separate cell as a form of punishment, where the individual is kept away from any human contact except for prison staff.

Additional Information

• Section 72:
  • Section 72 of the IPC deals with punishment for fraudulent removal or concealment of property to prevent its seizure.
  • This section does not relate to solitary confinement.
• Section 69:
  • Section 69 of the IPC pertains to the punishment for issuing or signing a false certificate.
  • This section does not address the issue of solitary confinement.
• Section 71:
  • Section 71 of the IPC discusses the limits of punishment for offenses made up of several offenses.
  • This section is not related to solitary confinement.

The correct answer is 'Penalty .'

Key Points

• Imprisonment in default of payment of fine:
  • Imprisonment in default of payment of fine is a legal provision where an individual may be imprisoned if they fail to pay a court-ordered fine.
  • This form of imprisonment serves as a penalty, meant to compel the individual to pay the fine.
  • It is not considered a separate sentence, but rather a consequence or penalty for failing to comply with the court's financial penalty.

Additional Information

• Other options explained:
  • Sentence:
    • A sentence is the judicial determination of the punishment to be imposed on a person convicted of a crime.
    • While imprisonment can be a form of sentence, in this context, the imprisonment is a penalty for non-payment of the fine, not a separate sentence.
  • Both sentence and penalty:
    • This option is incorrect as imprisonment in default of payment of a fine is specifically a penalty, not both a sentence and a penalty.
    • The legal system differentiates between the original sentence for the crime and penalties for non-compliance with court orders.
  • None of the above:
    • This option is incorrect as imprisonment in default of payment of fine clearly falls under the category of a penalty.
    • It is a legal repercussion designed to enforce the payment of fines imposed by the court.

The correct answer is 'OPTION 1.'.

Key Points

• Rigorous imprisonment for life:
  • A sentence for imprisonment for life means that the convict is required to stay in prison for the rest of their natural life.
  • This type of imprisonment is treated as rigorous, meaning the prisoner is subjected to hard labor and stricter conditions.
  • Rigorous imprisonment is intended to be more severe than simple imprisonment and involves more stringent measures and labor.

Additional Information

• Simple imprisonment:
  • Simple imprisonment involves confinement without any hard labor.
  • It is typically less severe compared to rigorous imprisonment.
  • Prisoners undergoing simple imprisonment are not required to perform hard labor and the conditions are generally less strict.
• Partly rigorous partly simple imprisonment:
  • This type of imprisonment does not exist in the context of life imprisonment.
  • Life imprisonment is categorically rigorous and does not alternate between rigorous and simple conditions.
• None of the above:
  • This option is incorrect as life imprisonment is explicitly categorized as rigorous imprisonment.
  • It is not an ambiguous category and is clearly defined in legal terms.

The correct answer is option 2Key Points

• Section 73 of Indian Penal code 1860 deals with Solitary confinement.
• Whenever any person is convicted of an offence for which under this Code the Court has power to sentence him to rigorous imprisonment, the Court may, by its sentence, order that the offender shall be kept in solitary confinement for any portion or portions of the imprisonment to which he is sentenced, not exceeding three months in the whole, according to the following scale, that is to say:
  • A time not exceeding one month if the term of imprisonment shall not exceed six months;
  • A time not exceeding two months if the term of imprisonment shall exceed six months and shall not exceed one year
  • A time not exceeding three months if the term of imprisonment shall exceed one year.

The correct answer is option 3Key Points

• Section 53 of Indian Penal code 1860 deals with Punishments.
• The punishments to which offenders are liable under the provisions of this Code are:
  • First.—Death;
  • Secondly.—Imprisonment for life;
  • Fourthly.—Imprisonment, which is of two descriptions, namely:
    • (1) Rigorous, that is, with hard labour;
    • (2) Simple;
  • Fifthly.—Forfeiture of property;
  • Sixthly.—Fine.
•  Clause Thirdly omitted by Act 17 of 1949, s. 2 (w.e.f. 6-4-1949).

The correct answer is three months.

Key Points

• Section 73 of the Indian Penal Code provides for Solitary Confinement.

It states that —Whenever any person is convicted of an offence for which under this Code the Court has power to sentence him to rigorous imprisonment, the Court may, by its sentence, order that the offender shall be kept in solitary confinement for any portion or portions of the imprisonment to which he is sentenced, not exceeding three months in the whole, according to the following scale, that is to say—

• a time not exceeding one month if the term of imprisonment shall not exceed six months;
• a time not exceeding two months if the term of imprisonment shall exceed six months and shall not exceed one year;
• a time not exceeding three months if the term of imprisonment shall exceed one year. 

The correct options are Rigorous, Simple, and Solitary.

Key Points

• Imprisonment:- Imprisonment can be of three types:
  • Rigorous
  • Simple
  • Solitary
• The maximum period of imprisonment is life imprisonment; and the lowest named for a given offence, viz., misconduct by a drunken person, is twenty-four hours (Section 510).
• Rigorous imprisonment:
  • In 'rigorous' imprisonment, the offender is put to hard labour such as grinding com, digging the earth, drawing water, cutting fire-wood, bowing wool, etc.
• Simple imprisonment:
  • In 'simple' imprisonment, the offender is confined to jail and is not put to any kind of work.
  • Labour taken from prisoners must not be obnoxious and payment must not be less than the applicable minimum wage [Gurdev v H.P., 1992 CrLJ 2542 (HP)]. 

Additional Information

• 'Imprisonment' would include under-trial detention.
• The sentence of imprisonment may be, in certain cases, wholly or partly rigorous or simple (Section 60).
• But in two cases the imprisonment must be rigorous:-
  • Giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of a capital offence (Section 194).
  • House trespass to commit an offence punishable with death (Section 449).
• Twelve offences are punishable with simple imprisonment only.
  • Some of them are:
    • Refusing to take oath (Section 178).
    • Disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant (Section 188).
    • Wrongful restraint (Section 341).
    • Defamation (Section 500).

The correct option is Only I.

Key Points

• Imprisonment:- Imprisonment can be of three types:
  • Rigorous
  • Simple
  • Solitary
• The maximum period of imprisonment is life imprisonment; and the lowest named for a given offence, viz., misconduct by a drunken person, is twenty-four hours (Section 510).
• Rigorous imprisonment:
  • In 'rigorous' imprisonment, the offender is put to hard labour such as grinding com, digging the earth, drawing water, cutting fire-wood, bowing wool, etc.
• Simple imprisonment:
  • In 'simple' imprisonment, the offender is confined to jail and is not put to any kind of work.
  • Labour taken from prisoners must not be obnoxious and payment must not be less than the applicable minimum wage [Gurdev v H.P., 1992 CrLJ 2542 (HP)]. 

Additional Information

• 'Imprisonment' would include under-trial detention.
• The sentence of imprisonment may be, in certain cases, wholly or partly rigorous or simple (Section 60).

The correct answer is 5

Key Points

• Punishment serves as a consequence for wrongdoing, aimed at reforming the offender and deterring others from similar actions. Sec 53 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) outlines various types of punishments applicable only to offenses within the IPC.
• In India, punishment is guided by the reformative theory, seeking to balance severity with effectiveness in fostering personal reform and societal deterrence.
• Sec 53 lists five kinds of punishments:
  • Death Penalty: Reserved for the gravest crimes, such as murder and terrorism, awarded only in rarest of rare cases.
  • Life Imprisonment: Imprisonment for the remainder of the convict's natural life, with a minimum term of 14 years.
  • Imprisonment: Serving a specified term in prison, which may be rigorous or simple.
  • Forfeiture of Property: Confiscation of property acquired through illegal means.
  • Fine: Monetary penalty imposed on the offender.

Death penalty is sanctioned in specific crimes, including murder and acts of terrorism, while life imprisonment ensures incarceration for the convict's lifetime, with a minimum term specified by law. 
Additional InformationCase law, such as Bachan Singh Vs State of Punjab and Naib Singh Vs State of Punjab And Ors., has clarified the duration and implications of life imprisonment. The Supreme Court has upheld the validity of the death penalty, but restricted its application to rarest of rare cases, emphasizing adherence to due process.

The correct answer is option 3.Key Points

• Section 64 of Indian Penal Code 1860 deals with sentence of imprisonment for non-payment of fine.
• In every case of an offence punishable with imprisonment as well as fine, in which the offender is sentenced to a fine, whether with or without imprisonment, and in every case of an offence punishable with imprisonment or fine, or with fine only, in which the offender is sentenced to a fine.
• It shall be competent to the Court which sentences such offender to direct by the sentence that, in default of payment of the fine, the offender shall suffer imprisonment for a certain term, which imprisonment shall be in excess of any other imprisonment to which he may have been sentenced or to which he may be liable under a commutation of a sentence. 

correct answer is X's sentence can be up to life imprisonment.

Key Points

• In the given problem X has committed the offence under chapter 12 and subsequently under chapter 17, therefore Section 75 of the IPC will apply.
• According to section 75 of the IPC Whoever, having been convicted, by a Court in India, of an offence punishable under Chapter XII or Chapter XVII of this Code with imprisonment of either description for a term of three years or upwards, shall be guilty of any offence punishable under either of those Chapters with like imprisonment for the like term, shall be subject for every such subsequent offence to imprisonment for life, or to imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years.

Additional Information

• Section 420 of the IPC deals with Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
• Section 232 of the IPC deals with Counterfeiting Indian coin.

The correct answer is option 2.Key Points

• Section 70 of Indian Penal Code 1860 deals with fine leviable within six years, of during imprisonment.
• Death not to discharge property from liability.
  • The fine, or any part thereof which remains unpaid, may be levied at any time within six years after the passing of the sentence, and if, under the sentence, the offender be liable to imprisonment for a longer period than six years, then at any time previous to the expiration of that period; and the death of the offender does not discharge from the liability any property which would, after his death, be legally liable for his debts.

The correct answer is unlimited but not excessive

Key Points

• Relevant Provision:
  • Section 63 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
• Legal Position:
  • When no specific maximum amount of fine is prescribed in the IPC for an offence, the fine is not capped by a statutory amount.
  • However, the court must ensure that the fine is not excessive or disproportionate to the offence or the means of the offender.
• Key Principle:
  • The fine is unlimited in quantum, but subject to judicial discretion.
  • The principle of fairness and reasonableness applies to prevent arbitrary punishment.
• Judicial Interpretation:
  • Courts have held that fines must be just, fair, and commensurate with the gravity of the offence and the offender's financial capacity

Additional Information

• Unlimited: Incomplete – must also be not excessive.
• Not exceeding ₹50,000: No such fixed limit under Section 63 IPC.
• Not exceeding ₹10,00,000: Incorrect – this is not a statutory cap under IPC.