Section 232 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023
Section 232 of the Bharatiya Nyāya Saṃhitā (BNS), 2023, under Chapter XIV: False Evidence and Offences against Public Justice:
🧵 Section 232 – Threatening Any Person to give False Evidence
🔹 Text of the Section
“Whoever threatens another with any injury to his person, reputation or property or to the person or reputation of anyone in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause that person to give false evidence, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description (rigorous or simple) for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.” (taxmanagementindia.com)
If an innocent person is convicted and sentenced due to the false evidence elicited by the threat—with punishment being death or imprisonment for more than seven years—then the person who made the threat shall be punished with the same punishment and sentence, in the same manner and to the same extent. (taxmanagementindia.com)
✅ Key Highlights
Core Offence: Threatening a person (or someone they care about) with bodily harm, reputation damage, or property loss, to force them to give false evidence.
Penalty: Up to 7 years of imprisonment (simple or rigorous), fine, or both.
Aggravated Scenario: If the false evidence leads to a wrongful conviction with a severe sentence (death or >7 years), the threatening party faces equivalent punishment to that conviction.
Cognizable & Non-bailable: Categorized as a cognizable offence, likely non-bailable and triable by Sessions Court, similar to related sections (lawrato.com).
📋 Legal & Procedural Notes
Complaints: A witness or any other person directly affected may file a complaint under this section (advocatekhoj.com).
Relation to Other Sections:
Sec 230–231 BNS – deal with giving/fabricating false evidence.
Sec 232 focuses specifically on threats used to compel someone to give false evidence.
Sec 233 onwards address misuse of evidence, forged certificates, etc. (myjudix.com, nyayasanhita.schoolnxg.com).
🎯 Practical Implications
This provision strengthens judicial integrity by deterring not just actual false testimony but the coercion behind it.
The upgraded penalty for aggravated cases aligns the sanction with harm caused—including influencing wrongful capital convictions.
It fills a legislative gap by explicitly criminalizing threats to induce perjury, marking a departure from earlier IPC norms.
RELATED Blog
0 comments