IPC Section 120 — Concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment

Summary

If a person hides or lies about a plan to commit a crime that is punishable with imprisonment, and does so with the intention of helping that crime happen, or knowing that it will likely help, then that person is covered by this section. The hiding or lying must be done through a voluntary action or an illegal failure to act. This section only describes what counts as such concealment or false representation; it does not state any punishment for it.

Official Text

Whoever, intending to facilitate or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby facilitate the commission of an offence punishable with imprisonment, voluntarily conceals, by any act or illegal omission, the existence of a design to commit such offence, or makes any representation which he knows to be false respecting such design:

Related Judgments

• KEHAR SINGH & ORS. vs STATE (DELHI ADMN.) — Supreme Court of India (1988)
• P.V. NARASIMHA RAO ETC. ETC. vs STATE (CBL/SPE) ETC. ETC — Supreme Court of India (1998)
• Laxman Ramchandra Rathod vs Union Of India And Anr — Bombay High Court (Mumbai Principal Seat) (2025)
• YASH PAL MITTAL vs STATE OF PUNJAB — Supreme Court of India (1977)
• NARAYAN CHETANRAM CHAUDHARY AND ANR. vs STATE OF MAHARASHTRA — Supreme Court of India (2000)
• RAJA@ SASIKUMAR & ANR. vs STATE THROUGH INSPECTOR OF POLICE — Supreme Court of India (2013)

Old <-> New Code Mapping

• BNS §60 — Concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment