Public servant unlawfully buying or bidding for property
What this section does
Penalises a public servant who, being legally prohibited from purchasing or bidding for certain property, does so either in his own name, in another's name, jointly, or in shares with others. The property, if purchased, is additionally liable to confiscation.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
Quick reference
- Punishment
- Simple imprisonment for a term up to 2 years, or fine, or both; and the property, if purchased, shall be confiscated.
- Triable by
- Magistrate of First Class
- Cognizable
- No
- Bailable
- Yes
- Compoundable
- No
Ingredients (what prosecution must prove)
- The accused is a public servant
- The accused is legally bound as such public servant not to purchase or bid for certain property
- The accused purchased or bid for that property, whether in his own name, another's name, jointly, or in shares with others
Practitioner note
Confiscation of the purchased property is a mandatory additional consequence upon conviction.
Derived from IPC s.169.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNS Section 203, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNS Section 203 forms part of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita which replaced the Indian Penal Code 1860 on 1 July 2024. Any new filing, FIR, charge sheet, or bail application made on or after that date should cite the new section number. References to the old act in legacy documents remain valid for matters that arose before the changeover.