The word “illegal” is applicable to everything which is an offence or which is prohibited by law, or which furnishes ground for a civil action; and a person is said to be “legally bound to do” whatever it is illegal in him to omit.

A “local law” is a law applicable only to a particular part of ¹[²[***] ³[India]].

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1. Subs. by the A.O. 1948, for “British India”.

2. The words “the territories comprised in” omitted by Act 48 of 1952, sec. 3 and Sch. II (w.e.f. 2-8-1952).

3. Subs. by Act 3 of 1951, sec. 3 and Sch., for “the States” which had been subs. by the A.O. 1950, for “the Provinces”.

A “special law” is a law applicable to a particular subject.

“Offence”.- Except in the ²[Chapters] and sections mentioned in clauses 2 and 3 of this section, the word “offence” denotes a thing made punishable by this code.

In Chapter IV, ³[Chapter V A] and in the following sections, namely Sections ⁴[64, 65, 66, ⁵[67], 71], 109, 110, 112, 114, 115, 116, 117, 187, 194, 195, 203, 211, 213, 214, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 347, 348, 388, 389 and 445, the words “offence” denotes a thing punishable under this Code, or under any special or local law as hereinafter defined.

And in Sections 141, 176, 177, 201, 202, 212, 216 and 441, the word “offence” has the same meaning when the thing punishable under the special or local law is punishable under such law with imprisonment for a term of six months or upwards, whether with or without fine.

A person is said to cause an effect “voluntarily” when he causes it by means whereby he intended to cause it, or by means which, at the time of employing those means, he knew or had reason to believe to be likely to cause it.

Illustration

A sets fire, by night, to an inhabited house in a large town, for the purpose of facilitating a robbery and thus causes the death of a person. Here, A may not have intended to cause death; and may even be sorry that death has been caused by his act; yet, if he knew that he was likely to cause death, he has caused death voluntarily.