Section 176 IPC: Omission to give notice or information to public servant by person legally bound to give it
Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 176 IPC at a Glance
Section 176 IPC deals with omission to give notice or information to public servant by person legally bound to give it. It is bailable and non-cognizable, triable by any Magistrate; from 1 July 2024 it is replaced by Section 211 BNS.
Simple imprisonment for up to one month. Where the notice or information respects the commission of an offence, or is required to prevent an offence or to apprehend an offender, simple imprisonment for up to six months. Where it is required by an order under sub-section one of section 565 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, imprisonment of either description for up to six months.
Section 176 IPC Bare Act Text
176. Omission to give notice or information to public servant by person legally bound to give it
Whoever, being legally bound to give any notice or to furnish information on any subject to any public servant, as such, intentionally omits to give such notice or to furnish such information in the manner and at the time required by law, 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 notice or information required to be given 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 simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both; or, if the notice or information required to be given is required by an order passed under sub-section (1) of section 565 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (5 of 1898), with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.
Source: Section 176, Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 176 IPC in Simple Words
Section 176 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) punishes a person who is legally bound to give any notice or to furnish information on any subject to a public servant, as such, and intentionally omits to do so in the manner and at the time required by law. The ordinary punishment is simple imprisonment for up to one month, or fine up to five hundred rupees, or both.
Where the notice or information respects the commission of an offence, or is required to prevent an offence or to apprehend an offender, the punishment rises to simple imprisonment for up to six months, or fine up to one thousand rupees, or both. Where the notice or information is required by an order under sub-section one of section 565 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, the punishment rises to imprisonment of either description for up to six months, or fine up to one thousand rupees, or both.
The offence is non-cognizable and bailable, and it is triable by any Magistrate.
Ingredients of Section 176 IPC
- The accused was legally bound to give a notice or to furnish information on a subject to a public servant, as such
- The accused omitted to give that notice or to furnish that information
- The omission was intentional
- The notice or information was required by law to be given in a particular manner and at a particular time
- For the higher punishment, the notice or information respected the commission of an offence, or was required to prevent an offence or to apprehend an offender, or was required by an order under sub-section one of section 565 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898
Punishment Under Section 176 IPC
Simple imprisonment for up to one month. Where the notice or information respects the commission of an offence, or is required to prevent an offence or to apprehend an offender, simple imprisonment for up to six months. Where it is required by an order under sub-section one of section 565 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, imprisonment of either description for up to six months.
The offender may be punished with fine alone or with both imprisonment and fine. The fine may extend to five hundred rupees in the ordinary case and to one thousand rupees in each of the other two cases.
Intentionally omitting to give a notice or information that the law requires carries simple imprisonment for up to one month, or fine up to five hundred rupees, or both, and up to six months in the two higher cases.
Example of Section 176 IPC
When Section 176 IPC Does Not Apply
- Section 176 IPC does not apply when the law placed no legal duty on the person to give the notice or supply the information.
- No offence is made out if the person to whom the notice or information had to be given was not a public servant acting in an official capacity.
- An accidental or inadvertent failure to report, without an intentional omission, is not punishable under Section 176 IPC.
- The section is inapplicable where the person duly provided the notice or information in the manner and within the time prescribed by law.
- Actually supplying false information instead of remaining silent falls under Section 177 IPC rather than Section 176 IPC.
Section 176 IPC in the BNS
Section 176 IPC is now covered under Section 211 BNS.
Section 176 IPC is now Section 211 BNS, with the same title and the same terms of imprisonment. The upper limit of the fine in the ordinary case rises from five hundred rupees to five thousand rupees, and in the case of a notice or information respecting an offence from one thousand rupees to ten thousand rupees. The fine in the third case stays at one thousand rupees, and the reference to sub-section one of section 565 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 becomes a reference to section 394 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
View detailed comparison (IPC 176 vs BNS 211) →FAQs on Section 176 IPC
What does Section 176 IPC provide?▼
It punishes a person who is legally bound to give any notice or to furnish information on any subject to a public servant, as such, and intentionally omits to do so in the manner and at the time required by law.
What is the punishment under Section 176 IPC?▼
In the ordinary case, simple imprisonment for up to one month, or fine up to five hundred rupees, or both. Where the notice or information respects the commission of an offence, or is required to prevent an offence or to apprehend an offender, simple imprisonment for up to six months, or fine up to one thousand rupees, or both. Where it is required by an order under sub-section one of section 565 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, imprisonment of either description for up to six months, or fine up to one thousand rupees, or both.
Is the omission under Section 176 IPC required to be intentional?▼
Yes. The section applies to a person who intentionally omits to give the notice or to furnish the information.
How does Section 176 IPC differ from Section 177 IPC?▼
Section 176 IPC punishes omitting to give a notice or information that the law requires. Section 177 IPC deals with information that is furnished and is untrue, on the conditions that section sets.
Is an offence under Section 176 IPC cognizable and bailable?▼
It is non-cognizable and bailable.
Which court tries an offence under Section 176 IPC?▼
Any Magistrate.
Can an offence under Section 176 IPC be compounded?▼
No. It is not listed in Section 320 CrPC.
Where is Section 176 IPC in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?▼
In Section 211 BNS.
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Sources: Bare Act Text, Indian Penal Code, 1860 · Last updated: 16 Oct 2026 ·