Bombay HC: Human teeth not a dangerous weapon

Mumbai

The Bombay High Court recently ruled that human teeth cannot be classified as a dangerous weapon capable of causing serious harm. This came while quashing an FIR filed by a woman who accused her sister-in-law of biting her during a family dispute. The case, registered in April 2020, involved allegations that the bite caused injury with a dangerous weapon.

However, the Aurangabad bench of the High Court, comprising Justices Vibha Kankanwadi and Sanjay Deshmukh, observed that the medical records only showed a minor injury—simple teeth marks. The judges stated that under Section 324 of the Indian Penal Code, a dangerous weapon must be something likely to cause death or serious harm. Since that was not the case here, the court said continuing the trial would be a misuse of legal procedures.

The FIR was quashed, and the court also noted that the dispute appeared to stem from a property issue within the family.