According to McNaughten rules, an accused is not criminally responsible for an act if, at the time of committing it, due to a mental disease, he did NOT know:
- A The nature and quality of the act, OR that the act was wrong ✓
- B That the act was harmful to society OR against religious norms
- C That the act would cause bodily harm OR provoke revenge
- D The legal definition of murder OR the identity of the victim
Correct answer: A. The nature and quality of the act, OR that the act was wrong
Explanation
The McNaughten (M'Naghten) Rules (1843, House of Lords) establish the legal insanity defence: at the time of the act, the accused must be proved to have been labouring under such a defect of reason from disease of the mind as to not know (a) the nature and quality of the act he was doing, OR (b) if he did know it, that he did not know that what he was doing was wrong (i.e., legally or morally wrong). This is a cognitive test of criminal responsibility still used in Indian law (IPC Section 84, now BNS equivalent) and many common law jurisdictions.
Reference: Kaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.