BNS Section 198 — Public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person

Summary

A public servant who knowingly disobeys any direction of the law about how they should behave in their official role, and who intends to cause injury to any person, or knows that their disobedience is likely to cause such injury, is punishable with simple imprisonment for up to one year, or with a fine, or with both.

The illustration gives an example: A is an officer directed by law to take property in execution to satisfy a court decree in Z's favour. A knowingly disobeys that legal direction, knowing that this disobedience is likely to cause injury to Z. A has committed the offence defined in this section.

Official Text

Whoever, being a public servant, knowingly disobeys any direction of the law as to the way in which he is to conduct himself as such public servant, intending to cause, or knowing it to be likely that he will by such disobedience, cause injury to any person, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

Illustration. A, being an officer directed by law to take property in execution, in order to satisfy a decree pronounced in Z’s favour by a Court, knowingly disobeys that direction of law, with the knowledge that he is likely thereby to cause injury to Z. A has committed the offence defined in this section.

Related Judgments

• SC (2025) Vol.3 p.1309 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• SC (2025) Vol.11 p.291 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• SC (2025) Vol.3 p.1531 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• SC (2025) Vol.6 p.280 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• SC (2025) Vol.2 p.80 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• SC (2024) Vol.8 p.670 — Supreme Court of India (2024)
• SC (2025) Vol.4 p.2730 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• SC (2025) Vol.9 p.283 — Supreme Court of India (2025)

Old <-> New Code Mapping

• IPC §166 — Public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person