Section 199 IPC: False statement made in declaration which is by law receivable as evidence
Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 199 IPC at a Glance
Section 199 IPC deals with false statement made in declaration which is by law receivable as evidence. It is bailable and non-cognizable; from 1 July 2024 it is replaced by Section 236 BNS.
The section sets no term of its own. The offender is punished in the same manner as for giving false evidence, which is punished under Section 193 IPC.
Section 199 IPC Bare Act Text
199. False statement made in declaration which is by law receivable as evidence
Whoever, in any declaration made or subscribed by him, which declaration any Court of Justice, or any public servant or other person, is bound or authorised by law to receive as evidence of any fact, makes any statement which is false, and which he either knows or believes to be false or does not believe to be true, touching any point material to the object for which the declaration is made or used, shall be punished in the same manner as if he gave false evidence.
Source: Section 199, Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 199 IPC in Simple Words
Section 199 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) punishes making a false statement in a declaration that a Court of Justice, a public servant or another person is bound or authorised by law to receive as evidence of a fact. The accused must have made or subscribed the declaration.
The statement must touch a point material to the object for which the declaration is made or used, and the accused must either know or believe it to be false or not believe it to be true. The offender is punished in the same manner as if he gave false evidence.
The offence is non-cognizable and bailable, and it is triable by the court by which the offence of giving false evidence is triable.
Ingredients of Section 199 IPC
- The accused made or subscribed a declaration
- A Court of Justice, a public servant or another person is bound or authorised by law to receive that declaration as evidence of a fact
- The declaration contains a statement which is false
- The accused either knew or believed the statement to be false or did not believe it to be true
- The statement touches a point material to the object for which the declaration is made or used
Punishment Under Section 199 IPC
The section sets no term of its own. The offender is punished in the same manner as for giving false evidence, which is punished under Section 193 IPC.
The section sets no fine of its own. The fine is the one for giving false evidence.
Making a false statement in a declaration which is by law receivable as evidence is punished in the same manner as giving false evidence.
Example of Section 199 IPC
When Section 199 IPC Does Not Apply
- Section 199 IPC does not apply when the person neither made nor subscribed the declaration containing the statement.
- Section 199 IPC does not apply if no Court of Justice, public servant, or other person is bound or authorised by law to receive the declaration as evidence of a fact.
- Section 199 IPC does not apply where the statement in the declaration is true, or where the maker honestly believed it to be true.
- Section 199 IPC does not apply when the false statement concerns an incidental detail that does not touch any point material to the object for which the declaration is made or used.
- Section 199 IPC does not apply where a person did not make the declaration but corruptly used or attempted to use it as true, which falls under Section 200 IPC.
Section 199 IPC in the BNS
Section 199 IPC is now covered under Section 236 BNS.
Section 199 IPC is now Section 236 BNS, with the same title. One phrase of the text changed: the IPC names a Court of Justice as a body bound or authorised to receive the declaration, and the BNS names a Court. The rest of the words are the same. The punishment is still the same as for giving false evidence, but that punishment now sits in Section 229 BNS, which caps the fine at ten thousand rupees or five thousand rupees where the IPC fixed no amount.
View detailed comparison (IPC 199 vs BNS 236) →FAQs on Section 199 IPC
What does Section 199 IPC provide?▼
It punishes making a false statement in a declaration which a Court of Justice, a public servant or another person is bound or authorised by law to receive as evidence of a fact, when the statement touches a point material to the object for which the declaration is made or used.
What is the punishment under Section 199 IPC?▼
Section 199 IPC sets no term of its own. It applies the punishment for giving false evidence.
How does Section 199 IPC differ from Section 200 IPC?▼
Section 199 IPC punishes making the false statement in the declaration. Section 200 IPC punishes corruptly using or attempting to use as true a declaration known to be false in a material point.
What state of mind does Section 199 IPC require?▼
The accused must either know or believe the statement to be false or not believe it to be true.
Is an offence under Section 199 IPC cognizable and bailable?▼
It is non-cognizable and bailable.
Which court tries an offence under Section 199 IPC?▼
The court by which the offence of giving false evidence is triable.
Can an offence under Section 199 IPC be compounded?▼
No. It is not listed in Section 320 CrPC.
Where is Section 199 IPC in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?▼
In Section 236 BNS.
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Sources: Bare Act Text, Indian Penal Code, 1860 · Last updated: 16 Oct 2026 ·