Section 212 BNS: Furnishing false information

Section 212 BNS Bare Act Text

212. Furnishing false information

Whoever, being legally bound to furnish information on any subject to any public servant, as such, furnishes, as true, information on the subject which he knows or has reason to believe to be false,—

(a) shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both;

(b) where the information which he is legally bound to give respects the commission of an offence, or is required for the purpose of preventing the commission of an offence, or in order to the apprehension of an offender, with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

Illustrations

(a) A, a landholder, knowing of the commission of a murder within the limits of his estate, wilfully misinforms the Magistrate of the district that the death has occurred by accident in consequence of the bite of a snake. A is guilty of the offence defined in this section.

(b) A, a village watchman, knowing that a considerable body of strangers has passed through his village in order to commit a dacoity in the house of Z, a wealthy merchant residing in a neighbouring place, and being legally bound to give early and punctual information of the above fact to the officer of the nearest police station, wilfully misinforms the police officer that a body of suspicious characters passed through the village with a view to commit dacoity in a certain distant place in a different direction. Here A is guilty of the offence defined in this section.

Explanation

In section 211 and in this section the word “offence” include any act committed at any place out of India, which, if committed in India, would be punishable under any of the following sections, namely, 103, 105, 307, sub-sections (2), (3) and (4) of section 309, sub-sections (2), (3), (4) and (5) of section 310, 311, 312, clauses (f) and (g) of section 326, sub-sections (4), (6), (7) and (8) of section 331, clauses (a) and (b) of section 332 and the word “offender” includes any person who is alleged to have been guilty of any such act.

Source: Section 212, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Section 212 BNS in Simple Words

Ingredients of Section 212 BNS

• A legal duty on the accused to furnish information on a subject to a public servant, as such
• Furnishing of information as true by the accused that the accused knows or has reason to believe to be false

Punishment Under Section 212 BNS

Furnishing false information to a public servant carries simple imprisonment for up to six months, or fine up to five thousand rupees, or both. Where it respects the commission or prevention of an offence or apprehension of an offender, the limit is imprisonment of either description for up to two years, or fine, or both.

Example of Section 212 BNS

When Section 212 BNS Does Not Apply

• The person was not legally bound to furnish the information to a public servant, as such
• The information was not furnished as true
• The information was true, or the person neither knew nor had reason to believe that it was false
• The act is omitting to give notice or information, which is punished under Section 211 BNS

Section 212 BNS in the IPC (Previous Law)

FAQs on Section 212 BNS