Offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender

What this section does

Penalises anyone who gives, offers, or agrees to give a gratification, or restores property, to induce another person to conceal an offence, screen an offender from legal punishment, or refrain from prosecuting an offender. The punishment is graded according to the severity of the underlying offence being screened. Compoundable offences are expressly excluded from the section's reach.

AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).

Quick reference

Punishment

(a) If underlying offence is punishable with death: imprisonment of either description up to 7 years and fine; (b) If punishable with imprisonment for life or up to 10 years: imprisonment of either description up to 3 years and fine; (c) If punishable with imprisonment not extending to 10 years: imprisonment up to one-fourth of the longest term provided for that offence, or fine, or both.

Triable by

Magistrate of First Class

Cognizable

Depends

Bailable

Depends

Compoundable

No

Ingredients (what prosecution must prove)

1. Accused gave, caused, offered, or agreed to give a gratification OR restored or caused restoration of property
2. The consideration was the recipient concealing an offence, screening a person from legal punishment, or not proceeding against a person for legal punishment
3. The underlying offence is not one that may lawfully be compounded

Derived from IPC s.214.