IPC Section 187 — Omission to assist public servant when bound by law to give assistance

Summary

If the law requires you to help a public servant who is doing their official duty, and you deliberately refuse to give that help, you can be punished with up to one month of simple imprisonment, or a fine of up to two hundred rupees, or both. If the help was specifically requested by a public servant who has the legal authority to ask for it—for example, to carry out a court order, stop a crime, control a riot or fight, or arrest someone who is accused or has escaped from custody—then the punishment increases to up to six months of simple imprisonment, or a fine of up to five hundred rupees, or both.

Official Text

Whoever, being bound by law to render or furnish assistance to any public servant in the execution of his public duty, intentionally omits to give such assistance, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees, or with both; and if such assistance be demanded of him by a public servant legally competent to make such demand for the purposes of executing any process lawfully issued by a Court of Justice, or of preventing the commission of an offence, or suppressing a riot, or affray, or of apprehending a person charged with or guilty of an offence, or of having escaped from lawful custody, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.

Referred to by

• CrPC §100 — Persons in charge of closed place to allow search

Old <-> New Code Mapping

• BNS §222 — Omission to assist public servant when bound by law to give assistance