IPC 173→BNS 207

IPC 173 to BNS 207: Preventing service of summons or other proceeding, or preventing publication thereof

Section 173 IPC (1860) replaced by Section 207 BNS (2023)

View IPC Section 173 →View BNS Section 207 →

IPC 173 to BNS 207 at a Glance

Section 173 IPC (Preventing service of summons or other proceeding, or preventing publication thereof) is now Section 207 BNS, in force from 1 July 2024. Under the BNS it is bailable and non-cognizable. What changed is set out below.

What Changed From IPC 173 to BNS 207?

Section 173 IPC is now Section 207 BNS, with the same title and the same imprisonment of up to one month and up to six months. The fines are ten times higher: up to five thousand rupees in place of five hundred, and up to ten thousand rupees in place of one thousand. The BNS sets the two cases out as clauses a and b and says Court where the IPC says Court of Justice.

IPC 173 vs BNS 207: Comparison Table

AspectIPC 1860 (repealed)BNS 2023 (in force)
Section173207
OffencePreventing service of summons or other proceeding, or preventing publication thereofSame
PunishmentSimple imprisonment for up to one month. Where the summons, notice, order or proclamation is to attend in person or by agent, or to produce a document or electronic record, in a Court of Justice, simple imprisonment for up to six months.Simple imprisonment for up to one month. Where the summons, notice, order or proclamation is to attend in person or by agent, or to produce a document or electronic record in a Court, simple imprisonment for up to six months.
FineFine up to five hundred rupees, or up to one thousand rupees where the summons, notice, order or proclamation is to attend in person or by agent, or to produce a document or electronic record, in a Court of Justice. Fine may be imposed alone or with imprisonment.Fine up to five thousand rupees, or up to ten thousand rupees where the summons, notice, order or proclamation is to attend in person or by agent, or to produce a document or electronic record in a Court. Fine may be imposed alone or with imprisonment.
BailBailableSame
CognizanceNon-CognizableSame
CompoundableNon-CompoundableSame
Triable ByAny MagistrateSame

IPC 173 and BNS 207: Bare Act Text Side by Side

IPC 1860 (repealed)

Section 173, IPC 1860

173. Preventing service of summons or other proceeding, or preventing publication thereof.—Whoever in any manner intentionally prevents the serving on himself, or on any other person, of any summons, notice or order proceeding from any public servant legally competent, as such public servant, to issue such summons, notice or order, or intentionally prevents the lawful affixing to any place of any such summons, notice or order, or intentionally removes any such summons, notice or order from any place to which it is lawfully affixed, or intentionally prevents the lawful making of any proclamation, under the authority of any public servant legally competent, as such public servant, to direct such proclamation to be made, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both; or, if the summons, notice, order or proclamation is to attend in person or by agent, or to produce a document or electronic record in a Court of Justice, with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.
BNS 2023 (in force)

Section 207, BNS 2023

Whoever in any manner intentionally prevents the serving on himself, or on any other person, of any summons, notice or order proceeding from any public servant legally competent, as such public servant, to issue such summons, notice or order, or intentionally prevents the lawful affixing to any place of any such summons, notice or order or intentionally removes any such summons, notice or order from any place to which it is lawfully affixed or intentionally prevents the lawful making of any proclamation, under the authority of any public servant legally competent, as such public servant, to direct such proclamation to be made,— (a) shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both; (b) where the summons, notice, order or proclamation is to attend in person or by agent, or to produce a document or electronic record in a Court, with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees, or with both.

Ingredients: IPC 173 vs BNS 207

Under IPC 173
  1. There was a summons, notice or order proceeding from a public servant legally competent, as such public servant, to issue it, or a proclamation which a public servant legally competent, as such public servant, could direct to be made
  2. The accused prevented its serving on himself or on any other person, prevented its lawful affixing to any place, removed it from a place to which it was lawfully affixed, or prevented the lawful making of the proclamation
  3. The accused did this intentionally
Under BNS 207
  1. A summons, notice or order from a legally competent public servant, or a proclamation to be made under his authority
  2. Prevention of its serving, of its lawful affixing or of the lawful making of the proclamation, or its removal from a place where it was lawfully affixed
  3. Intention to do so

What IPC 173 to BNS 207 Means for Pending Cases

For Section 173 IPC (now Section 207 BNS): the imprisonment limits of one month and six months are the same, but the fine limits are ten times higher, so a charge for an act done after the BNS came into force cites Section 207 BNS with fines of up to five thousand rupees or ten thousand rupees.

FAQs: IPC 173 to BNS 207

What changed when Section 173 IPC became Section 207 BNS?▼

The fines. Section 207 BNS raises the fine from five hundred rupees to five thousand rupees, and from one thousand rupees to ten thousand rupees where the summons, notice, order or proclamation is to attend in person or by agent, or to produce a document or electronic record, in a Court. The title and the imprisonment of one month and six months are the same.

Where does Section 173 IPC sit in the BNS?▼

In Section 207 BNS, in Chapter XIII, Of Contempts of the Lawful Authority of Public Servants.

Does Section 173 IPC or Section 207 BNS apply to an act done before 1 July 2024?▼

Section 173 IPC. Section 358 BNS repealed the IPC from 1 July 2024 but saves any liability already incurred under it, so an act done before that date is still dealt with under Section 173 IPC. Section 207 BNS governs acts done on or after 1 July 2024.

Disclaimer: This comparison is for informational purposes only. The new criminal laws came into effect on 1 July 2024. Consult a qualified advocate for legal advice.

Sources: Indian Penal Code, 1860 · Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Last updated: 16 Oct 2026 ·