Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 392
repealedPunishment for robbery
Whoever commits robbery shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine; and, if the robbery be committed on the highway between sunset and sunrise, the imprisonment may be extended to fourteen years.
Why this exists
This section provides the general punishment for robbery, with an added, harsher maximum term for robberies committed at night on highways, reflecting the greater vulnerability of travellers after dark on public roads where help is less likely to be nearby. Highway robbery at night has historically been treated as especially dangerous because victims are often isolated and less able to seek help quickly. A similarly structured punishment for robbery, with an enhanced penalty for aggravated circumstances, continues under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which replaced the Indian Penal Code in 2024.