Limit of punishment of offence made up of several offences.
- (1) Where anything which is an offence is made up of parts, any of which parts is
itself an offence, the offender shall not be punished with the punishment of more than one of
such his offences, unless it be so expressly provided.
(2) Where—
(a) anything is an offence falling within two or more separate definitions of any
law in force for the time being by which offences are defined or punished; or
Limit of
punishment of
offence made
up of several
offences.
(b) several acts, of which one or more than one would by itself or themselves
constitute an offence, constitute, when combined, a different offence,
the offender shall not be punished with a more severe punishment than the Court which tries
him could award for any one of such offences.
Illustrations.
(a) A gives Z fifty strokes with a stick. Here A may have committed the offence of
voluntarily causing hurt to Z by the whole beating, and also by each of the blows which
make up the whole beating. If A were liable to punishment for every blow, he might be
imprisoned for fifty years, one for each blow. But he is liable only to one punishment for the
whole beating.
(b) But, if, while A is beating Z, Y interferes, and A intentionally strikes Y, here, as the
blow given to Y is no part of the act whereby A voluntarily causes hurt to Z, A is liable to one
punishment for voluntarily causing hurt to Z, and to another for the blow given to Y.