Injuria sine damno

 Injuria sine damno is an infringement of a legitimate right without creating any mischief, misfortune or harm to the offended party and at whatever point any lawful right is encroached, the individual in whom the right is vested is qualified for bring an activity Each individual has an outright right to his property, to the insusceptibility of his individual, and to his freedom and encroachment of this right is significant as such. An individual against whom the lawful right has been encroached has a reason for activity with the end goal that even an infringement of any lawful right purposely brings the reason for activity.

The law even gives the freedom that if an individual only has a danger of encroachment of a lawful right even without the injury being finished, the individual whose right has been undermined can bring a suit under the arrangements of Specific Relief Act under Declaration and directive.

For Example: If a person is wrongfully detained against his will, he will have a claim for substantial damages for wrongful imprisonment even if no consequential loss was suffered upon the detention.

As was refered to on account of Ashby v/s. White (1703) wherein the offended party was a certified elector at the parliamentary decisions which were held by then of time. The litigant, a returning official illegitimately wouldn’t take the offended party’s vote. The offended party experienced no harm since the up-and-comer which he wished to cast a ballot previously won the decisions yet, the respondents were expected to take responsibility. It was inferred that harm isn’t simply monetary however injury imports a harm, so when a man is impeded of his freedoms he is qualified for cures.

Injuria sine Damno is even applicable in the cases of trespass as was observed in the case of Sain Das Vs. Ujagar Singh (1940) that nominal damages are usually awarded and the principle of injuria sine damno is applicable to an immovable property when there has been an unjustifiable intrusion on the property in possession of another. It was also concluded that the rule cannot be extended to every case of attachment of property irrespective of the circumstances.

Bhim Singh v/s. State of Jammu & Kashmir

In the accompanying instance of Bhim Singh versus Province of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Bhim Singh, a MLA of Jammu and Kashmir was captured and kept in police care and was intentionally kept from going to the meetings of the authoritative get together to be held. There was likewise a democratic meeting which would have been held and since he was not permitted to go. At the gathering meeting where his vote was vital. However the individual to whom he needed to cast a ballot won yet his entitlement to cast a ballot was encroached.

He was captured and was not introduced under the watchful eye of the court for four days and was kept in a secret spot. The case is about the infringement of individual freedom where the police however acquiring remand of the captured individual, not creating him before the judge inside the essential time frame. There was a gross infringement of privileges under Article 21 and Article 22.

It was held that there was a capture with the devilish and malevolent aim and the offended party was qualified for the remuneration of Rs. 50,000 since there was a capture of an individual from the administrative get together while he was en route to the authoritative gathering which brought about the hardship of the option to go to the looming gathering meeting. In the specific instances of Injuria Sine Damnum, the court has the locale to repay by granting reasonable financial remuneration.

The following observations of the Apex Court in Ravi Yashvant Bhoir v. District Collector, Raigad [(2012) 4 SCC 407] explains the concept and the law.

…A legal right is an averment of entitlement arising out of law. In fact, it is a benefit conferred upon a person by the rule of law. Thus, a person who suffers from legal injury can only challenge the act or omission. There may be some harm or loss that may not be wrongful in the eyes of law because it may not result in injury to a legal right or legally protected interest of the complainant but juridically harm of this description is called damnum sine injuria.

The complainant has to establish that he has been deprived of or denied of a legal right and he has sustained injury to any legally protected interest. In case he has no legal peg for a justiciable claim to hang on, he cannot be heard as a party in a list. A fanciful or sentimental grievance may not be sufficient to confer a locus standi to sue upon the individual. There must be injuria or a legal grievance which can be appreciated and not a stat pro ratione valuntas reasons i.e. a claim devoid of reasons.

Along these lines, to become qualifies for look for a legal cure, an individual should show and build up that he is harmed with a lawful wrong. There should be a physical issue to a lawfully perceived, legitimately ensured and legitimately enforceable right. The guideline to be applied is that there should be an injuria sine damnum and not the damnum sine injuria for making a legitimate move and a lawful response. A harm endured must be combined with lawful injury. It is this sort of injury on which the right-enforceability might be based.

In case of Injuria Sine Damno the loss suffered is not any physical loss but due to the violation of legal right.

Therefore, damages received by the aggrieved party is because of some kind of loss is being suffered, and hence the amount for damages are determined just to compensate the victim. The amount for compensation can even be rupees 5. However, where the violation of a legal right is owing to mischievous and malicious act, the number of damages so fixed can be increased as done in case of Bhim Singh’s case.

Injuria sine damno refers to the cases of infringement of an absolute private right without any actual loss or damage. Here the actual damage means physical loss in terms of money, comfort, health, etc. This maxim says that the infringement of certain rights is itself considered as damage and there is no need to prove that an actual damage is caused.Every person has an absolute right over his property, to the immunity of his person, and an infringement of these rights is actionable per se.

In case of Injuria Sine Damno the loss suffered is not any physical loss but due to the violation of legal right. Therefore, damages received by the aggrieved party is because of some kind of loss is being suffered, and hence the amount for damages are determined just to compensate the victim. The amount for compensation can even be rs. 5. However, where the violation of a legal right is owing to mischievous and malicious act, the number of damages so fixed can be increased as done in case of Bhim Singh’s case.

Nominal Damages

These are the harms granted to the offended party when the degree of harm endured was tiny or unimportant. Since the legal maxim of Injuria sine Damnum requires the customary law courts to perceive even the smallest of the mischief endured, hence such harms however as inconsequential as Re. 1 are granted by the courts in acknowledgment of the encroachment of the offended party’s right.

Most famously, Holt, C. J. has underlined the importance of nominal damages

If a man another cuff on the ear, though it costs him nothing, not so much as a little diachylon, yet he shall have his action against another for riding over his ground, though it did him no damage; for it is an invasion of his property and the other has no right to come here”

In another famous case British Prime Minister Mr. Winston Churchill was awarded a nominal shilling in a libel suit brought against an author who had tarnished his image by publishing that he had been drunk in a party.

Contemptuous Damages

These harms are granted by the courts when it feels that however the offended party’s legitimate right has been disregarded, he has not to be sure gone to the court with clean hands. The solicitor ends up in some unacceptable when his lawful right has been abused. For this situation, the court grants harms in acknowledgment of the legitimate right of the offended party however the measure of the harm is enormously decreased because of some unacceptable done by the offended party. The limited quantity granted to the solicitor is to show the court’s disdain of the offended party’s base demonstration

Aggravated Damages

These harms are granted in due acknowledgment of the excellent mischief or harm endured by the offended party because of the demonstration of the respondent. For example in the event that the offended party is delicate to hearing possibly because of infirmity or affliction and the litigant intentionally played cruel music with the sole reason for irritating him, the court might grant disturbed harms.

In situations where a football player fell into a profound pit and harmed his leg, he may be granted bothered in acknowledgment of the harm caused to his games vocation rather than an ordinary man who can guarantee just compensatory harms.

Punitive Damages

These damages are awarded by the courts in order to deter social elements from bringing similar damage to any other person. Thus, deterrence is the motivating factor behind these damages.