Back to Penal Code 1871

Section history

Section 33 — “Act” and “omission”

As in force on 1 January 2020.

Timeline 4 versions
  1. 30 March 1987 Enacted
  2. 30 November 2008 Revised edition
  3. 1 January 2020 Act 15 of 2019
  4. 17 August 2026 Latest
Amended in force 1 January 2020 by Criminal Law Reform Act 2019
33.“Act” and “omission”

(1)The word “act” denotes as well a series of acts as a single act; the word “omission” denotes as well a series of omissions as a single omission.

(2)To avoid doubt, where a person does a series of acts, one or more of which caused a certain effect, that person is regarded to have caused that effect by that series of acts even if it is not known which of the acts in that series caused that effect.

Illustration

A gives Z small doses of poison in Z’s food at different times over the course of a few days, with intent to kill Z. Z dies from poisoning, although it is not known which of those doses (individually or collectively) caused Z’s death. A has caused Z’s death by poisoning.

[Indian PC 1860, s. 33]