Section 63 BNS: Rape

Section 63 BNS Bare Act Text

63. Rape

A man is said to commit “rape” if he—

(a) penetrates his penis, to any extent, into the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or

(b) inserts, to any extent, any object or a part of the body, not being the penis, into the vagina, the urethra or anus of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or

(c) manipulates any part of the body of a woman so as to cause penetration into the vagina, urethra, anus or any part of body of such woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or

(d) applies his mouth to the vagina, anus, urethra of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person, under the circumstances falling under any of the following seven descriptions:—

(i) against her will;

(ii) without her consent;

(iii) with her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her or any person in whom she is interested, in fear of death or of hurt;

(iv) with her consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband and that her consent is given because she believes that he is another man to whom she is or believes herself to be lawfully married;

(v) with her consent when, at the time of giving such consent, by reason of unsoundness of mind or intoxication or the administration by him personally or through another of any stupefying or unwholesome substance, she is unable to understand the nature and consequences of that to which she gives consent;

(vi) with or without her consent, when she is under eighteen years of age;

(vii) when she is unable to communicate consent.

Explanation 1.—For the purposes of this section, “vagina” shall also include labia majora.

Explanation 2.—Consent means an unequivocal voluntary agreement when the woman by words, gestures or any form of verbal or non-verbal communication, communicates willingness to participate in the specific sexual act:

Provided that a woman who does not physically resist to the act of penetration shall not by the reason only of that fact, be regarded as consenting to the sexual activity.

Exception 1.—A medical procedure or intervention shall not constitute rape.

Exception 2.—Sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under eighteen years of age, is not rape.

Source: Section 63, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Section 63 BNS in Simple Words

Ingredients of Section 63 BNS

• Commission by a man of any of the four statutory acts of penetration, insertion, manipulation, or oral contact, or making a woman do so with him or any other person
• Occurrence under any of the seven statutory circumstances in clauses (i) to (vii), including absence of consent, consent obtained by fear or deception, incapacity to consent, or the woman being under eighteen years of age
• Absence of an applicable exception under Exception 1 for a medical procedure or intervention, or under Exception 2 for sexual acts by a man with his own wife who is not under eighteen years of age

Punishment Under Section 63 BNS

Section 63 BNS defines rape without prescribing a penalty of its own. Sentences of imprisonment and fine are prescribed under Section 64 BNS and associated penal sections of the BNS.

Example of Section 63 BNS

When Section 63 BNS Does Not Apply

• The act was a bona fide medical procedure or intervention covered by Exception 1
• None of the four specific acts enumerated in clauses a to d took place
• The act occurred with the free and unequivocal voluntary agreement of an adult woman communicating willingness to participate

Section 63 BNS in the IPC (Previous Law)

FAQs on Section 63 BNS

Sections Related to Section 63 BNS