Question:easy

'A' a soldier, fires on a mob by the order of his superior officer, in conformity with the commands of the law. Choose the correct statement:

Updated On: Jul 13, 2026
  • A has committed the offence of murder
  • A has committed the offence of culpable homicide
  • A has committed no offence
  • A has committed the offence of riot.
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Chapter IV of the IPC lists general exceptions, situations where an act that would otherwise look criminal is excused because the actor was legally bound, justified, or mistaken in good faith about being bound to act that way. A soldier following a lawful order from a superior is the textbook example of this exception.

  1. Murder: would require an unlawful killing driven by private intention. Acting on a lawful military command in conformity with law is the opposite of that, so murder does not apply.
  2. Culpable homicide: also needs the act to be unlawful in the first place. A command that itself conforms to the law cannot generate an unlawful killing on the soldier's part.
  3. No offence: fits exactly, because the soldier is carrying out a legal duty under his superior's lawful order, which is the precise situation Section 76 IPC was written to excuse from criminal liability.
  4. Riot: is an offence committed by an unlawful assembly using force, and describes the mob's conduct, not the lawful conduct of a soldier acting under orders that conform to law.

The correct answer is A has committed no offence, since obeying a lawful command that conforms to the law is a complete legal exception to criminal liability.

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