Section 506: Punishment for Criminal Intimidation in IPC
Section 506 IPC: Punishment for Criminal Intimidation
🔹 What is Criminal Intimidation?
Criminal Intimidation is defined under Section 503 IPC as threatening another person with injury to their person, reputation, or property, with intent to cause alarm or to compel them to do or omit to do something.
🔹 Section 506: Punishment
Section 506(1):
Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation shall be punished with:
Imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or
With fine, or
With both.
Section 506(2):
If the threat is to cause:
Death, or
Serious hurt, or
Damage to property by fire, or
To commit an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life, or
To impute unchastity to a woman,
Then the punishment may be:
Imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or
With fine, or
With both.
🔹 Explanation
The offence involves making threats that cause fear or alarm in the victim.
The severity of punishment depends on the nature of the threat.
Intimidation can be through spoken or written words, signs, gestures, or any other method.
🔹 Essential Ingredients of Section 506 IPC
Threat or intimidation — Must be a threat to cause injury or harm.
Intent or knowledge — The accused must intend to cause alarm or compel the victim.
Nature of threat — Can relate to personal safety, reputation, property, or to commit a serious offence.
Communication of threat — The threat must be communicated to the victim.
🔹 Distinction Between Sections 503 and 506 IPC
Section 503 IPC defines the offence of criminal intimidation.
Section 506 IPC prescribes the punishment for criminal intimidation.
🔹 Case Law Examples
State of Maharashtra v. Madhukar Narayan Mardikar (1969):
The Supreme Court held that mere threat to prosecute does not amount to criminal intimidation unless accompanied by some other threat.
Ramaswamy v. State of Tamil Nadu (1980):
The court emphasized the necessity of intent to cause alarm or compel a person to act under threat for criminal intimidation.
🔹 Summary
| Nature of Threat | Punishment |
|---|---|
| General intimidation | Up to 2 years imprisonment, fine or both |
| Threat to cause death, serious hurt, etc. | Up to 7 years imprisonment, fine or both |
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