Section 324 of BNS in Hindi

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 की धारा 324 शरारत (mischief) से संबंधित है। यह प्रावधान बताता है कि यदि कोई व्यक्ति जानबूझकर या यह जानते हुए कि उसके कार्य से नुकसान हो सकता है, किसी संपत्ति को हानि पहुँचाता है, तो यह अपराध माना जाएगा। इसमें संपत्ति को नष्ट करना, उसकी स्थिति बदलना, या उसकी उपयोगिता कम करना शामिल है। कानून का उद्देश्य लोगों की संपत्ति को सुरक्षित रखना है।

इस धारा के तहत यह जरूरी नहीं है कि नुकसान संपत्ति के मालिक को ही हो। यदि किसी भी व्यक्ति को हानि होती है, तो भी अपराध बनता है। यहां तक कि अपनी ही संपत्ति को नुकसान पहुँचाना भी अपराध हो सकता है, अगर उससे दूसरों को हानि हो। इस प्रकार, यह कानून समाज में जिम्मेदारी और सावधानी बनाए रखने में मदद करता है।

Related post: Section 126 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023

Section 324 of BNS in Hindi: शरारत

शरारत — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023

धारा 324 BNS के अनुसार, शरारत तब होती है जब कोई व्यक्ति जानबूझकर या यह जानते हुए कि नुकसान होगा, किसी संपत्ति को नष्ट करता है या उसमें ऐसा बदलाव करता है जिससे उसका मूल्य या उपयोगिता कम हो जाए। यह अपराध केवल संपत्ति के मालिक को नुकसान पहुँचाने के इरादे तक सीमित नहीं है — किसी भी व्यक्ति को सदोष हानि पहुँचाना पर्याप्त है।

The law has two important clarifications here. First, you don’t need to specifically target the property owner — harming any person through the damage is enough. Second, you can even commit mischief against your own property if you co-own it and intend to harm your co-owners. That’s a detail most people miss entirely.

Key Ingredients of Mischief Under Section 324 BNS

To establish mischief under BNS 2023, three elements must come together. Think of them as the three locks — all must open for the offence to apply.

Element	Legal Requirement
Intent or Knowledge	Must intend or know harm will follow
Act on Property	Destruction, alteration, or damage to property
Resulting Loss	Value, utility, or condition of property suffers

Miss even one element and the charge won’t stick. That’s why mens rea — criminal intent — sits at the heart of this offence. Without a guilty mind, there’s no mischief in law.

BNS vs IPC: What Actually Changed?

The old Section 425 of IPC covered mischief previously. BNS replaced it and renumbered it as Section 324 but the core definition stayed largely intact. However, BNS reorganised the aggravated forms more systematically. Here’s a quick comparison:

Aspect	IPC Section 425	BNS Section 324
Basic Definition	Same	Same
Numbering	425	324
Legislative Source	IPC 1860	BNS 2023
Aggravated Offences	Separate sections	Structured sub-sections

So if you’ve studied IPC mischief before, you’re not starting from scratch — just updating your reference point.

Punishment for Mischief Under BNS 2023

Basic mischief under Section 324 BNS carries imprisonment up to two years, a fine, or both. But aggravated forms of mischief — like damaging religious property, public utilities, or using fire and explosives — attract much heavier sentences ranging up to five years or more.

The punishment scales with the harm caused. Scratching someone’s car door out of anger? That’s basic mischief. Burning down a warehouse to settle a business dispute? That crosses into aggravated territory immediately and courts treat it very differently.

Real-Life Examples That Clarify Everything

Examples make law tangible. Here are situations where Section 324 BNS clearly applies:

• A farmer cuts a neighbor’s irrigation pipes to destroy their crops before harvest season
• A business rival corrupts a competitor’s digital files before a major client presentation
• A co-owner demolishes shared property to prevent the other co-owner from benefiting
• Someone slashes delivery vehicle tires to cause wrongful financial loss to a business

Conclusion

Section 324 of BNS in Hindi शरारत is not a complicated offence once you understand its structure. The law protects property rights firmly and punishes anyone who intentionally causes damage, regardless of who owns the property. Whether it’s physical destruction or deliberate alteration that reduces value, BNS 2023 treats it seriously. If you’re studying Indian criminal law, this section is foundational master its three elements and you’ve understood the offence completely.

The shift from IPC to BNS didn’t change the spirit of mischief law. It simply modernised the framework. Courts continue applying the same logical test — intent, act, and resulting loss — and that approach isn’t changing anytime soon.