Under the McNaughten rules for legal insanity in India, the accused is considered not guilty by reason of insanity if:

• A The accused had any diagnosable mental illness at the time of the act
• B The accused was under irresistible impulse at the time of the act
• C The accused was intoxicated involuntarily at the time of the act
• D Due to disease of the mind, the accused did not know the nature of the act or did not know the act was legally wrong ✓

Explanation

The McNaughten rules (codified in Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code) provide that a person is not criminally responsible if, at the time of committing the act, due to unsoundness of mind, they did not know the nature and quality of the act, OR did not know that the act was wrong. Mere presence of mental illness is insufficient — the cognitive incapacity must exist at the time of the offense. Irresistible impulse is not recognized under McNaughten/Indian law.

Reference: Kaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.