Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, what is the maximum number of consecutive days an offender may be kept in solitary confinement at a time?

All India Bar Examination (AIBE) 20 (XX) Previous Year Question Papers with Answers

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Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, what is the maximum number of consecutive days an offender may be kept in solitary confinement at a time?

A: Seven

B: Ten

C: Fourteen

D: Twenty-one

The answer is: C

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Explanation

C: Fourteen

Section 12 BNS - Limit of solitary confinement:

“In executing a sentence of solitary confinement, such confinement shall in no case exceed fourteen days at a time, with intervals between the periods of solitary confinement of not less duration than such periods...”

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER:

- Maximum at a time: 14 days (consecutive).

- There must be an interval of at least equal duration (i.e., at least 14 days gap) before the next period of solitary confinement.

- Additional monthly limit (if total imprisonment > 3 months): Solitary confinement shall not exceed 7 days in any one month.

- Total solitary confinement cannot exceed 3 months in the whole (as per Section 11 BNS).

This provision is almost identical to the old Section 74 IPC, which has been carried forward into BNS with the same limits.

OPTION ANALYSIS:

- A (Seven) → This is the monthly limit (when imprisonment > 3 months), not the consecutive limit.

- B (Ten) → No such provision.

- C (Fourteen) → Correct. Explicitly mentioned in Section 12 BNS.

- D (Twenty-one) → Incorrect.

Pro Tip for AIBE: Study Section 11 (when & how much solitary confinement can be awarded) and Section 12 (execution limits) together. Questions often test the 14 days at a time rule.