When a person is accused of more than one offences of the same kind, committed within one year, even though the targeted victims are different, he may be charged with and tried at one trial for how many offences?

Correct option is B

The correct option is:(b) Maximum five offences (under the BNSS, 2023)

Note: If this question refers to the older CrPC, 1973, the answer would be (c) Maximum three offences. However, under the new criminal laws (BNSS) currently in force, this limit has been increased to five.

Explanation

This provision is governed by Section 242 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 219 of the CrPC).

• Same Kind of Offences: When a person is accused of more than one offence of the same kind committed within a period of twelve months (one year) from the first to the last of such offences, they can be tried together in a single trial.
• Expansion of Limit: Under the previous Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the limit was a maximum of three offences. The new BNSS has increased this limit to five offences to streamline trials and reduce the burden on the judiciary.
• Different Victims: The law explicitly states that this rule applies whether the offences were committed in respect of the same person or different persons.

Information Booster:

• Definition of "Same Kind": Offences are considered to be of the same kind when they are punishable with the same amount of punishment under the same section of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 (or the IPC for older cases).
• Attempts are Included: An offence punishable under any section is deemed to be of the same kind as an attempt to commit that offence, provided the attempt itself is an offence.
• The 12-Month Rule: The offences must occur within a 12-month window from the date of the first offence to the date of the last one to qualify for this joint trial.