Primarily used in the set phrase 良心の呵責 (pangs of conscience). The broader meanings of blame, accusation, torture, and maltreatment are rare and mostly literary or historical.
The kanji 呵 means 'to scold' or 'to blame', and 責 means 'responsibility' or 'blame'. The compound originally referred to severe blame or torture, but in modern Japanese it is almost exclusively used in the phrase 良心の呵責.
