Section 295: Correction of child, servant, etc.

A blow or other force, not in any case extending to a wound or grievous harm, may be
justified for the purpose of correction as follows‐
(1) a father or mother may correct his or her legitimate or illegitimate child, being
under sixteen years of age, or any guardian or person acting as a guardian, his ward,
being under sixteen years of age, for misconduct or disobedience to any lawful
command;
(2) a master may correct his servant or apprentice, being under sixteen years of age,
for misconduct or default in his duty as such servant or apprentice;
(3) the master of a ship may correct any person on board his ship who is bound to
perform any manual labour, for misconduct or disobedience to any lawful command;
(4) a father or mother or guardian, or a person acting as a guardian, may delegate to
any person
whom he or she entrusts permanently or temporarily with the governance or custody
of his or her child or ward on his or her own authority for correction, including the
power to determine in what cases correction ought to be inflicted; and such a
delegation shall be presumed, except in so far as it may be expressly withheld, in the
case of a schoolmaster or a person acting as a schoolmaster, in respect of a child or
ward;
(5) a person who is authorised to inflict correction as in this section of this Code
mentioned may, in any particular case, delegate to any fit person the infliction of such
correction; and
(6) no correction can be justified which is unreasonable in kind or in degree, regard
being had to the age and physical and mental condition of the person on whom it is
inflicted; and no correction can be justified in the case of a person who, by reasons of
tender years or otherwise, is incapable of understanding the purpose for which it is
inflicted.