Section 17 of BNS : Section 17: Act done by a person justified, or by mistake of fact believing himself justified, by law.

Explanation using Example

Example 1:

Ravi is a security guard at a shopping mall. One day, he sees Ramesh running out of a store with a bag and hears the store alarm go off. Believing that Ramesh has stolen something, Ravi apprehends him and takes him to the mall's security office. Later, it is discovered that Ramesh had accidentally triggered the alarm and had not stolen anything. Since Ravi acted in good faith, believing he was justified by law to apprehend a suspected thief, he has committed no offence under Section 17 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.

Example 2:

Priya is a resident of a housing society. One night, she hears loud noises and sees her neighbor, Suresh, forcefully entering another neighbor's house. Priya, thinking that Suresh is a burglar, calls the police and informs them about the situation. The police arrive and arrest Suresh. It is later revealed that Suresh was actually trying to help his neighbor who was having a medical emergency and had called Suresh for assistance. Priya, who acted in good faith and believed she was justified by law to report a suspected crime, has committed no offence under Section 17 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.