Sec 84 IPC: Acquittal not Merely on Ground of Incapacity

I'm still surprised when I see students get carried away with the Sec 84 plea, thinking it's a magic wand that'll get their client acquitted. Not true, folks. Sec 84 says a person is not responsible for his acts if he is, at the time of doing the act, by reason of unsoundness of mind, incapable of knowing the nature of the act, or that he is doing what is either wrong or contrary to law. Sounds good on paper, but in practice, it's a tough call.

In the landmark case of M. Srinivas v. State of Karnataka (2013), the SC held that the accused cannot feign insanity to escape punishment. The court's emphasis on the need for concrete medical evidence to prove the accused's incapacity has made it virtually impossible for Sec 84 to be invoked successfully.