Chapter XXII
OF CRIMINAL INTIMIDATION, INSULT AND ANNOYANCE
503. Criminal intimidation.
503. Criminal intimidation.—Whoever threatens another with any injury to his person, reputation or property, or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause alarm to that person, or to cause that person to do any act which he is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do any act which that person is legally entitled to do, as the means of avoiding the execution of such threats, commits criminal intimidation.
Explanation.—A threat to injure the reputation of any deceased person in whom the person threatened is interested, is within this section.
Illustration
A, for the purpose of inducing B to desist from prosecuting a civil suit, threatens to burn B's house. A is guilty of criminal intimidation.
504. Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace.
504. Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace.—Whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break the public peace, or to commit any other offence, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
505. Statements conducing to public mischief.
[i][505. Statements conducing to public mischief.—[ii][(1) Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report,—
(a) with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, any officer, soldier, [iii][sailor or airman] in the Army, [iv][Navy or Air Force] [v][of India] to mutiny or otherwise disregard or fail in his duty as such; or
(b) with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquillity; or
(c) with intent to incite, or which is likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community,
shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to [vi][three years], or with fine, or with both.
[vii][(2) Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes.—Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement or report containing rumour or alarming news with intent to create or promote, or which is likely to create or promote, on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community or any other ground whatsoever, feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities, shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
(3) Offence under sub-section (2) committed in place of worship, etc.—Whoever commits an offence specified in sub-section (2) in any place of worship or in any assembly engaged in the performance of religious worship or religious ceremo-nies, shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to fine.]
Exception.—It does not amount to an offence, within the meaning of this section, when the person making, publishing or circulating any such statement, rumour or report, has reasonable grounds for believing that such statement, rumour or report is true and makes, publishes or circulates it [viii][in good faith and] without any such intent as aforesaid.]
506. Punishment for criminal intimidation.
506. Punishment for criminal intimidation.—Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both;
if threat be to cause death or grievous hurt, etc.—and if the threat be to cause death or grievous hurt, or to cause the destruction of any property by fire, or to cause an offence punishable with death or [ix][imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or to impute unchastity to a woman, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.
507. Criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication.
507. Criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication.—Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication, or having taken precaution to conceal the name or abode of the person from whom the threat comes, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, in addition to the punishment provided for the offence by the last preceding section.
508. Act caused by inducing person to believe that he will be rendered an object of the Divine displeasure.
508. Act caused by inducing person to believe that he will be rendered an object of the Divine displeasure.—Whoever voluntarily causes or attempts to cause any person to do anything which that person is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do anything which he is legally entitled to do, by inducing or attempting to induce that person to believe that he or any person in whom he is interested will become or will be rendered by some act of the offender an object of Divine displeasure if he does not do the thing which it is the object of the offender to cause him to do, or if he does the thing which it is the object of the offender to cause him to omit, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
Illustrations
(a) A sits dhurna at Z's door with the intention of causing it to be believed that, by so sitting, he renders Z an object of Divine displeasure. A has committed the offence defined in this section.
(b) A threatens Z that, unless Z performs a certain act, A will kill one of A's own children, under such circumstances that the killing would be believed to render Z an object of Divine displeasure. A has committed the offence defined in this section.
509. Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.
509. Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.—Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, [x][shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, and also with fine]
STATE AMENDMENTS
Chhattisgarh.—After Section 509, the following shall be inserted, namely—
“509-A. Sexual harassment by relative.—Whoever, being related to a woman through blood, adoption or marrige, and not being her husband, takes the advantage of his proximity and induces, seduces or threatens such woman with intent to insult her modesty by word, gesture or act shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment which shall not be less than one year but which may extend to five years and shall also be Iiable to fine.
509-B. Sexual harassment by electronic modes.—Whoever, by means of telecommunication device or by any other electronic mode including internet, makes, creates, solicits or initiates the transmission of any comment, request, suggestion, proposal, image or other communication, which is obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy or indecent with intent to harass or cause or having knowledge that it would harass or cause annoyance or mental agony to a woman shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but may extend to two years and shall also be liable to fine.”. [Vide Chhattisgarh Act 25 of 2015, S. 6, w.e.f. 21-7-2015]
510. Misconduct in public by a drunken person.
510. Misconduct in public by a drunken person.—Whoever, in a state of intoxication, appears in any public place, or in any place which it is a trespass in him to enter, and there conducts himself in such a manner as to cause annoyance to any person, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to twenty-four hours, or with fine which may extend to ten rupees, or with both.
Chapter XXIII
OF ATTEMPTS TO COMMIT OFFENCES
511. Punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with im-prisonment for life or other imprisonment.
511. Punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with im-prisonment for life or other imprisonment.—Whoever attempts to commit an offence punishable by this Code with [xi][imprisonment for life] or imprisonment, or to cause such an offence to be committed, and in such attempt does any act towards the commission of the offence, shall, where no express provision is made by this Code for the punishment of such attempt, be punished with [xii][imprisonment of any description provided for the offence, for a term which may extend to one-half of the imprisonment for life or, as the case may be, one-half of the longest term of imprisonment provided for that offence], or with such fine as is provided for the offence, or with both.
Illustrations
(a) A makes an attempt to steal some jewels by breaking open a box, and finds after so opening the box, that there is no jewel in it. He has done an act towards the commission of theft, and therefore is guilty under this section.
(b) A makes an attempt to pick the pocket of Z by thrusting his hand into Z's pocket. A fails in the attempt in consequence of Z's having nothing in his pocket. A is guilty under this section.
References
[i] Substituted by Act 4 of 1898, S. 6, for the original section.
[ii] S. 505 was renumbered as sub-section (1) of that section by Act 35 of 1969, S. 3.
[iii] Substituted by Act 10 of 1927, S. 2 and Sch. I, for “or sailor”.
[iv] Substituted by S. 2 and Sch. I by Act 10 of 1927 for “or navy”.
[v] Substituted by the A.O. 1950 for “of Her Majesty or in the Imperial Service Troops”. The words “or in the Royal Indian Marine” occurring after the word “Majesty” were rep. by Act 35 of 1934.
[vi] Substituted by Act 41 of 1961, S. 4, for “two years” (w.e.f. 12-9-1961).
[vii] Inserted by Act 35 of 1969, S. 3(i) (w.e.f. 4-9-1969).
[viii] Inserted by Act 35 of 1969, S. 3(ii) (w.e.f. 4-9-1969).
[ix] Substituted by Act 26 of 1955, S. 117 and Sch., for “transportation” (w.e.f. 1-1-1956).
[x] Substituted for “shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both” by Act 13 of 2013, S. 10 (w.e.f. 3-2-2013).
[xi] Substituted by Act 26 of 1955, S. 117 and Sch., for “transportation” (w.e.f. 1-1-1956).
[xii] Substituted by Act 26 of 1955, S. 117 and Sch., for “transportation or imprisonment of any description provided for the offence, for a term of transportation or imprisonment which may extend to one-half of the longest term provided for that offence” (w.e.f. 1-1-1956).
