Attempt to commit suicide to compel or restrain exercise of lawful power
What this section does
Creates an offence of attempting to commit suicide with the specific intent to compel or restrain a public servant from discharging official duty. This provision does not punish suicide attempts generally but only those used as a coercive tool against public servants in the exercise of their official functions.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
Quick reference
- Punishment
- Simple imprisonment up to 1 year, or fine, or both, or community service.
- Triable by
- Any Magistrate
- Cognizable
- No
- Bailable
- Yes
- Compoundable
- No
Ingredients (what prosecution must prove)
- The accused attempted to commit suicide
- The attempt was made with the intent to compel or restrain a public servant
- The compulsion or restraint was directed at the public servant's discharge of official duty
Practitioner note
This section is a targeted carve-out: it criminalises suicide attempts only when used as coercion against public servants. Community service is an alternative punishment. The general offence of attempt to commit suicide under IPC s.309 has been largely decriminalised; this BNS provision retains liability only in this specific coercive context.
Derived from IPC s.309.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNS Section 226, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNS Section 226 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.