Site navigation

In which of the following cases the Court held that attempt to do even an impossible act, will amount…

In R v. Goodhall (1846) the accused gave a woman a substance to procure a miscarriage, believing her to be pregnant when she was not, and was still held guilty, so an…

Choose your answer

In which of the following cases the Court held that attempt to do even an impossible act, will amount to an offence?

Select one answer
Answer and explanation

Correct answer B

In R v. Goodhall (1846) the accused gave a woman a substance to procure a miscarriage, believing her to be pregnant when she was not, and was still held guilty, so an attempt can be punished even though the intended result was impossible. Indian law follows the same rule in the illustrations to section 62 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (formerly section 511 IPC), namely the empty box and the empty pocket. Abhayanand Mishra v. State of Bihar (1961) is the leading case on where preparation ends and attempt begins, not on impossibility.

Practice for these exams

Related exam syllabi

Related questions in this topic