Adulteration of food or drink intended for sale

What this section does

Punishes adulteration of food or drink that renders it noxious, where the accused intends to sell it or knows it is likely to be sold as food or drink. The key element is that the adulteration makes the article harmful, not merely inferior.

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

Quick reference

Punishment

Imprisonment of either description for up to 6 months, or fine up to ₹5,000, or both.

Triable by

Any Magistrate

Cognizable

No

Bailable

Yes

Compoundable

No

Ingredients (what prosecution must prove)

1. The accused adulterated an article of food or drink
2. The adulteration rendered the article noxious as food or drink
3. The accused intended to sell it as food or drink, or knew it was likely to be sold as such

Derived from IPC s.272.