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CLAT PG Criminal Law MCQ: BNS, BNSS, BSA with Answers

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These 12 original CLAT PG criminal law MCQ questions, with answers and one-line explanations, cover the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), which replaced the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act from 1 July 2024. CLAT PG 2027 (6 December 2026) draws passages from judgments that still quote the old sections, so you need both numberings: this page gives the BNS, BNSS or BSA section and the old one.

PointPosition
Murder (IPC s.300)BNS s.101; punishment (IPC s.302) is BNS s.103(1)
Death by negligence (IPC s.304A)BNS s.106(1)
Common intention (IPC s.34)BNS s.3(5)
FIR (CrPC s.154)BNSS s.173
Anticipatory bail (CrPC s.438)BNSS s.482
Electronic records (Evidence Act s.65B)BSA s.63
Dowry death (IPC s.304B; Evidence Act s.113B)BNS s.80; BSA s.118

Why CLAT PG criminal law needs old and new sections

The Consortium’s PG syllabus tests understanding of the issues in a passage and the application of the relevant law. A passage from a 2019 judgment will say “section 302 IPC” or “section 438 CrPC”; the question may ask what the same provision is now, or apply the new law to fresh facts. Offences committed before 1 July 2024 are generally still tried under the old Code, so the old law does not disappear. For the full tables see our IPC to BNS, CrPC to BNSS and Evidence Act to BSA guides.

Practise this in exam conditions. Crash Course Part 2 covers criminal law under the BNS, BNSS and BSA, with contract, torts, family and property law, and explained practice MCQs. CLAT PG Crash Course Part 2, ₹249. For the statutes themselves, see the New Criminal Laws Guide, ₹149, or test yourself with the free CLAT PG mock test.

BNS MCQ for CLAT PG: 12 practice questions with answers

Q1. Which BNS section defines murder, replacing IPC s.300?

  1. Section 99
  2. Section 100
  3. Section 101
  4. Section 103
Show answer

Answer: C. Section 101 defines murder. Section 100 defines culpable homicide (IPC s.299) and section 103 prescribes the punishment for murder.

Q2. The punishment for murder under BNS s.103(1) is:

  1. Death or imprisonment for life, and fine
  2. Imprisonment for life only
  3. Imprisonment up to ten years and fine
  4. Death only
Show answer

Answer: A. Death or life imprisonment, with fine. The death penalty is reserved for the “rarest of rare” cases (Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab, 1980).

Q3. BNS s.103(2) is a new provision on murder by a group on grounds such as race, caste, community, sex, language or personal belief. It applies to a group of at least:

  1. Two persons
  2. Three persons
  3. Five persons
  4. Ten persons
Show answer

Answer: C. Five or more persons acting in concert; the punishment is death or life imprisonment, with fine. The IPC had no separate mob-lynching offence.

Q4. In Jacob Mathew v. State of Punjab (2005), the Supreme Court held that a doctor is criminally liable for death by negligence only for:

  1. Any lack of reasonable care
  2. Gross negligence or recklessness
  3. Any error of judgment
  4. Failure to cure the patient
Show answer

Answer: B. The ruling was on IPC s.304A, now BNS s.106(1). Its proviso gives a registered medical practitioner a lower maximum, two years with fine, for a medical procedure.

Q5. Virsa Singh v. State of Punjab (1958) set out a test for the clause of murder involving bodily injury “sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death”. In the BNS that clause is:

  1. Section 101(a)
  2. Section 101(b)
  3. Section 101(c)
  4. Section 101(d)
Show answer

Answer: C. It was clause thirdly of IPC s.300. The test asks whether an injury was present, its nature, the intention to inflict that injury, and its sufficiency to cause death.

Q6. Which BNS provision holds each person liable for a criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all?

  1. Section 3(5)
  2. Section 45
  3. Section 49
  4. Section 61(2)
Show answer

Answer: A. Section 3(5) replaces IPC s.34. Section 61(2) is criminal conspiracy (IPC s.120B). Barendra Kumar Ghosh v. King-Emperor (1924) held that one who stands and waits can share common intention.

Q7. Which BNS section corresponds to IPC s.100, on when the right of private defence of the body extends to causing death?

  1. Section 34
  2. Section 35
  3. Section 38
  4. Section 41
Show answer

Answer: C. Sections 34 to 44 of the BNS follow IPC ss.96 to 106 in order. Darshan Singh v. State of Punjab (2010) restates the principles of private defence.

Q8. For an offence punishable with three years or more but less than seven years, a preliminary enquiry before registering an FIR under BNSS s.173(3) needs the permission of an officer not below the rank of:

  1. Inspector
  2. Deputy Superintendent of Police
  3. Superintendent of Police
  4. Magistrate
Show answer

Answer: B. Deputy Superintendent of Police, and the enquiry must be completed within 14 days. Lalita Kumari v. Government of U.P. (2013) holds registration mandatory when a cognizable offence is disclosed.

Q9. Anticipatory bail, earlier under CrPC s.438, is now provided in:

  1. BNSS s.478
  2. BNSS s.480
  3. BNSS s.482
  4. BNSS s.483
Show answer

Answer: C. Section 482. Section 478 is bail in bailable offences, s.480 in non-bailable offences, and s.483 is the High Court and Sessions Court’s special power. Sushila Aggarwal v. State (NCT of Delhi) (2020) held protection need not be time-limited by default.

Q10. A person is arrested for an offence punishable with seven years’ imprisonment and the police have filed no report. Under BNSS s.187(3), he can claim default bail after:

  1. 15 days
  2. 30 days
  3. 60 days
  4. 90 days
Show answer

Answer: C. Sixty days; ninety days apply if the offence carries death, life or ten years or more. The right is indefeasible if claimed before the report is filed (Uday Mohanlal Acharya v. State of Maharashtra, 2001).

Q11. Which BSA section replaces Evidence Act s.65B on admissibility of electronic records, with a certificate in the form given in the Schedule?

  1. Section 61
  2. Section 62
  3. Section 63
  4. Section 65
Show answer

Answer: C. Section 63. Arjun Panditrao Khotkar v. Kailash Kushanrao Gorantyal (2020) held the certificate mandatory where the original device is not produced. Section 61 says an electronic record is not inadmissible only because it is electronic.

Q12. Dowry death is an offence under BNS section ___, and the court’s presumption of dowry death is in BSA section ___.

  1. 80; 118
  2. 85; 117
  3. 80; 117
  4. 85; 118
Show answer

Answer: A. BNS s.80 (IPC s.304B) and BSA s.118 (Evidence Act s.113B). Section 85 is cruelty (IPC s.498A) and BSA s.117 is the presumption of abetment of suicide by a married woman.

Traps in CLAT PG criminal law questions

  • Definition versus punishment. BNS ss.100 and 101 define; ss.103 and 105 punish. Read which one the question asks.
  • Sub-section numbers. The BNS often splits a former single section into sub-sections, such as s.103(1) and (2) or s.106(1) and (2). Check the sub-section.
  • Old text, new law. A passage may quote the IPC; the question may ask for the current provision.
  • Procedure versus substance. Bail, FIR and remand sit in the BNSS, not the BNS.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get CLAT PG criminal law MCQ with answers?

This page has 12 original questions with answers. Lexfolio’s free CLAT PG mock test and the Crash Course Part 2 add more, and the Consortium sells previous years’ papers for ₹500 with the CLAT application.

Do I need to learn the BNS for CLAT PG 2027?

Yes. The BNS, BNSS and BSA have been in force since 1 July 2024, and CLAT PG tests the application of current law. Older judgments still quote the IPC, so learn both numberings.

Which BNS sections are most important for CLAT PG?

Start with general exceptions and private defence (ss.14 to 44), culpable homicide and murder (ss.100 to 105), sexual offences (ss.63 to 73), and property offences such as theft (s.303) and cheating (s.318). Learn the equivalent IPC sections beside each.

Is criminal procedure part of the CLAT PG criminal law syllabus?

Criminal Law is a listed subject, and recent passages have used bail, FIR and trial procedure. Learn the main BNSS provisions on FIR, arrest, bail and remand along with the BNS offences.

Sources

  • Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023: ss.3(5), 34 to 44, 63, 80, 85, 100 to 106
  • Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023: ss.173, 187, 478 to 483
  • Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023: ss.61 to 63, 117, 118
  • Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980); Jacob Mathew v. State of Punjab (2005); Virsa Singh v. State of Punjab (1958); Barendra Kumar Ghosh v. King-Emperor (1924)
  • Darshan Singh v. State of Punjab (2010); Lalita Kumari v. Government of U.P. (2013); Sushila Aggarwal v. State (NCT of Delhi) (2020)
  • Uday Mohanlal Acharya v. State of Maharashtra (2001); Arjun Panditrao Khotkar v. Kailash Kushanrao Gorantyal (2020)

This page is for education and general information, not legal advice for a specific case. Law as on 29 October 2026.

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