IPC Section 185 — Illegal purchase or bid for property offered for sale by authority of public servant

Summary

If a person buys or bids for property at a sale that is legally conducted by a public servant, and they know that the person on whose behalf they are buying or bidding is legally not allowed to purchase that property at that sale, they commit an offence. It is also an offence if a person bids for such property without intending to actually follow through on the obligations created by that bid. The punishment for this offence can be imprisonment for up to one month, or a fine of up to two hundred rupees, or both.

Official Text

Whoever, at any sale of property held by the lawful authority of a public servant, as such, purchases or bids for any property on account of any person, whether himself or any other, whom he knows to be under a legal incapacity to purchase that property at that sale, or bids for such property not intending to perform the obligations under which he lays himself by such bidding, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees, or with both.

Related Judgments

• SC (1952) Vol.1 p.435 — Supreme Court of India (1952)
• SMT. SHASHI NAYAR v. UNION OF INDIA AND ORS. OCTOBER 29, 1991 A — Supreme Court of India (S)
• STATE OF WEST BENGAL v. SHYAMADAS 1211 BANERJEE & ANOTHER — Supreme Court of India (2008)
• UNION OF INDIA v. SA VJIRAM AND ANR. DECEMBER 17, 2003 B — Supreme Court of India (S)
• SC (2025) Vol.3 p.65 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• THE GUJARAT UNIVERSITY, AHMEDABAD v. KRISHNA RANGANATH MUDHOLKAR AND OTHERS — Supreme Court of India (S)
• CRL OP(MD)/7922/2019 — Madras High Court ()
• HAJI T.M. HASSAN RAWTHER v. KERALA FINANCIAL CORPORATION. NOVEMBER 17, -1987 — Supreme Court of India (1988)

Old <-> New Code Mapping

• BNS §220 — Illegal purchase or bid for property offered for sale by authority of public servant