Question

The principle that - "Nothing is an offence which is done by a child under seven years of age" is provided under:

• A. Section 81 of I.P.C.
• B. Section 82 of I.P.C.
• C. Section 83 of I.P.C.
• D. Section 84 of I.P.C.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The Correct Option is (B): Section 82 of I.P.C..

Answer 2

This question is about the age-based exceptions to criminal liability in the Indian Penal Code, which fix specific ages below which a child is presumed incapable of forming criminal intent. Let's check each section.

1. Section 81 of I.P.C.: Section 81 deals with an act likely to cause harm but done without criminal intent and in good faith to prevent other harm, the "necessity" defence. It has nothing to do with the age of the accused.
2. Section 82 of I.P.C.: Section 82 states in clear terms that nothing is an offence which is done by a child under seven years of age. This is an absolute presumption that a child below seven cannot possess criminal intent, so this is the correct provision.
3. Section 83 of I.P.C.: Section 83 covers a child above seven and under twelve years of age, but only exempts the child if he has not attained sufficient maturity of understanding to judge the nature and consequences of his conduct. It is a conditional, not absolute, exception, and it applies to an older age band than the one in the question.
4. Section 84 of I.P.C.: Section 84 is the unsoundness of mind exception, protecting a person who, because of mental incapacity, cannot know the nature of the act or that it is wrong or contrary to law. It is unrelated to a child's age.

Since the question describes an absolute exemption tied to being under seven years of age, it matches Section 82 IPC precisely, while Section 83 covers an older, conditional band and Sections 81 and 84 deal with entirely different defences.

So the correct answer is Section 82 of I.P.C.