Forensic Psychiatry MCQs

Forensic Medicine · 15 free questions with answers & explanations.

1. Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, a person of unsound mind (mental illness) is exempt from criminal responsibility under which section?
2. A defendant is charged with murder. His lawyer pleads insanity as a defence. Under the M'Naghten rules (incorporated in BNS 2023 as the test for legal insanity), an accused is considered not criminally responsible if, at the time of the act, they:
3. A court requests a psychiatric fitness report ('Fitness to stand trial' / testamentary capacity). Under Indian forensic psychiatry, testamentary capacity requires that at the time of making a will, the person must possess all EXCEPT:
4. Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, Section 22 (corresponding to former IPC Section 84) provides the defence of unsoundness of mind. Under this provision, for a criminal act to be excused on grounds of mental disorder, which of the following must be established?
5. Under the BNS 2023, which section provides the legal test for insanity as a defence, stating that a person of unsound mind is not criminally responsible if, at the time of the act, he was incapable of knowing the nature of the act or that it was wrong?
6. The M'Naghten rules (1843) define legal insanity based on which cognitive criterion?
7. A 22-year-old student is charged with theft. His lawyer argues he acted under an irresistible impulse to steal (kleptomania). Under current Indian law (BNS 2023), the 'irresistible impulse' defence is:
8. Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the defence of 'unsoundness of mind' (previously under IPC Section 84) is now found under which section, and what is the key cognitive test applied?
9. Under the Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA) 2017, a person with severe mental illness who is unwilling to be admitted to a mental health establishment can be admitted involuntarily. Which of the following is a ground for involuntary admission?
10. Under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023 (replacing CrPC), if a person is found to be of unsound mind during trial and unfit to make a defence, the court's procedure is governed by which section, and what is the primary determination the court must make?
11. A 30-year-old man with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia kills his neighbour, believing the neighbour was sending radiation into his brain. Under which section of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) can he plead for exemption from criminal responsibility?
12. A court requests a forensic psychiatrist to assess whether the accused is fit to stand trial. This assessment of 'fitness to plead' evaluates the accused's ability to:
13. The Indian law that provides for the care, treatment, and protection of persons with mental illness, and also defines 'advance directive' and 'nominated representative', is:
14. Irresistible impulse as a defence in criminal law differs from the M'Naghten rule in that it addresses:
15. A forensic psychiatrist is asked to opine on 'testamentary capacity' of an 80-year-old who made a will while reportedly having dementia. The MINIMUM legal requirement for a valid will under the Indian Succession Act, 1925 is that the testator must: