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Section 284: Conveying Person by Water for Hire in Unsafe or Overloaded Vessel

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita • Chapter XV: Of Offences Affecting Public Health, Safety & Morals • Official Statutory Text & Legal Guide

Chapter XV: Of Offences Affecting Public Health, Safety & Morals
Any Magistrate
Bailable
Cognizable
Formerly Sec 282 IPC
Section 283 All 358 Sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 285

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 284

Section 284 punishes knowingly or negligently conveying any person by water for hire in any vessel, when the vessel is in such a state or so overloaded as to endanger the life of that person.

  • Conveyance for Hire: Operating a commercial ferry, passenger boat, or tourist cruise for pecuniary consideration.
  • Dangerous State or Overloading: The vessel is structurally unseaworthy, leaking, lacking lifejackets, or packed beyond statutory capacity.
  • Endangerment to Life: Exposing passengers to imminent peril of drowning or capsize.
Key Landmark Precedents:
  • State of Kerala v. Joseph (1983) Cri LJ 1243 (Ker): The High Court convicted ferry operators who crammed twice the licensed number of pilgrims onto an unseaworthy wooden boat which capsized.
  • In Re: Godavari Boat Tragedy (2020) 2 SCC 112: The Supreme Court underscored strict criminal liability and corporate accountability for private boat operators flouting passenger safety norms.
Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

Inspect the vessel's registration certificate specifying maximum carrying capacity against passenger ticket stubs and recovered survivor counts. Lack of lifebuoys proves gross negligence.

Section 283 All 358 Sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 285