Illegal purchase or bid for property offered for sale by authority of public servant
What this section does
Punishes a person who, at a public servant-authorised sale, purchases or bids for property on behalf of someone known to be legally incapacitated from purchasing at that sale, or who bids without intending to fulfil the obligations arising from the bid.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
Quick reference
- Punishment
- Imprisonment of either description up to 1 month, or fine up to ₹200, or both.
- Triable by
- Any Magistrate
- Cognizable
- No
- Bailable
- Yes
- Compoundable
- No
Ingredients (what prosecution must prove)
- A sale of property was held under the lawful authority of a public servant
- The accused purchased or bid for property on account of a person (including himself) known to be under a legal incapacity to purchase at that sale, OR the accused bid for property without intending to perform the obligations arising from such bidding
Practitioner note
The fine ceiling of ₹200 is notably low and appears to have been carried over from the IPC without revision.
Derived from IPC s.185.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNS Section 220, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNS Section 220 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.