Bombay High Court: Human Teeth Are Not a Dangerous Weapon
The Bombay High Court has ruled that human teeth cannot be considered a dangerous weapon under Indian law. This decision came while the court was hearing a case involving a property dispute in the Solankar family.
A division bench of Justices Vibha Kankanwadi and Sanjay Deshmukh dismissed a criminal case against five family members. The court relied on a 2004 Supreme Court judgment in the Shakeel Ahmed case, where it was decided that human teeth do not fall under the category of “dangerous weapons” in Section 326 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with causing serious injuries using such weapons.
The case began when Maya Solankar, a daughter-in-law in the family, filed a complaint related to a property dispute. The family was arguing over land, a house, and a brick kiln. On April 26, 2020, Maya stopped her brother-in-law Tanaji Solankar from transporting bricks, asking him to wait until the court ruled on the property matter.
An argument broke out, and Maya claimed that Tanaji, his wife Vanmala, and his father Shivaji attacked her. She said Vanmala bit her hand and that Tanaji bit her brother Laxman Mane’s arm when he tried to help.
However, the medical reports showed only minor injuries—bruises and small wounds. Based on this, Maya filed an FIR under several IPC sections including 324 (hurting with dangerous weapons), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (insult), 506 (intimidation), and 34 (common intention).
The Solankar family went to the High Court to request the case be dismissed. The judges agreed, stating that the injuries were not serious and that human teeth cannot be seen as dangerous weapons. The medical evidence showed that the injuries were caused by a “hard and blunt object,” not by teeth.
The court concluded there was no reason to continue legal proceedings under Section 326 of the IPC.
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