Indian Penal Code, 1860

IPC Chapter 14

OFFENCES AFFECTING THE PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY, CONVENIENCE, DECENCY AND MORALS

Section 268 — Public nuisance

India Code (official)

Offence

A person is guilty of a public nuisance who does any act or is guilty of an illegal omission which causes any common injury, danger or annoyance to the public or to the people in general who dwell or occupy property in the vicinity, or which must necessarily cause injury, obstruction, danger or annoyance to persons who may have occasion to use any public right.

A person is guilty of a public nuisance who does any act or is guilty of an illegal omission which causes any common injury, danger or annoyance to the public or to the people in general who dwell or occupy property in the vicinity, or which must necessarily cause injury, obstruction, danger or annoyance to persons who may have occasion to use any public right.

Section 271 — Disobedience to quarantine rule

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever knowingly disobeys any rule made and promulgated by the Government for putting any vessel into a state of quarantine, or for regulating the intercourse of vessels in a state of quarantine with the shore or with other vessels, for regulating the intercourse between places where an infectious disease prevails and other places,

Punishment

shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.

  • Imprisonment: six months.

Section 272 — Adulteration of food or drink intended for sale

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever adulterates any article of food or drink, so as to make such article noxious as food or drink, intending to sell such article as food or drink, or knowing it to be likely that the same will be sold as food or drink,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 273 — Sale of noxious food or drink

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever sells, or offers or exposes for sale, as food or drink, any article which has been rendered or has become noxious, or is in a state unfit for food or drink, knowing or having reason to believe that the same is noxious as food or drink,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 274 — Adulteration of drugs

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever adulterates any drug or medical preparation in such a manner as to lessen the efficacy or change the operation of such drug or medical preparation, or to make it noxious, intending that it shall be sold or used for, or knowing it to be likely that it will be sold or used for, any medicinal purpose, as it had not undergone such adulteration,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 275 — Sale of adulterated drugs

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever, knowing any drug or medical preparation to have been adulterated in such a manner as to lessen its efficacy, to change its operation, or to render it noxious, sells the same, or offers or exposes it for sale, or issues it from any dispensary for medicinal purposes as unadulterated, or causes it to be used for medicinal purposes by any person not knowing of the adulteration,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 276 — Sale of drug as a different drug or preparation

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever knowingly sells, or offers or exposes for sale, or issues from a dispensary for medicinal purposes, any drug or medical preparation, as a different drug or medical preparation,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 277 — Fouling water of public spring or reservoir

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever voluntarily corrupts or fouls the water of any public spring or reservoir, so as to render it less fit for the purpose for which it is ordinarily used,

Punishment

shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.

  • Imprisonment: three months.
  • Fine: five hundred rupees.

Section 278 — Making atmosphere noxious to health

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever voluntarily vitiates the atmosphere in any place so as to make it noxious to the health of persons in general dwelling or carrying on business in the neighbourhood or passing along a public way,

Punishment

shall be punished with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees.

  • Fine: five hundred rupees.

Section 279 — Rash driving or riding on a public way

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever drives any vehicle, or rides, on any public way in a manner so rash or negligent as to endanger human life, or to be likely to cause hurt or injury to any other person,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 280 — Rash navigation of vessel

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever navigates any vessel in a manner so rash or negligent to endanger human life, or to be likely to cause hurt or injury to any other person,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 282 — Conveying person by water for hire in unsafe or overloaded vessel

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever knowingly or negligently conveys, or causes to be conveyed for hire, any person by water in any vessel, when that vessel is in such a state or so loaded as to endanger the life of that person,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 284 — Negligent conduct with respect to poisonous substance

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever does, with any poisonous substance, any act in a manner so rash or negligent as to endanger human life, or to be likely to cause hurt or injury to any person, or knowingly or negligently omits to take such order with any poisonous substance in his possession as is sufficient to guard against probable danger to human life from such poisonous substance,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 285 — Negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever does, with fire or any combustible matter, any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life, or to be likely to cause hurt or injury to any other person, or knowingly or negligently omits to take such order with any fire or any combustible matter in his possession as is sufficient to guard against any probable danger to human life from such fire or combustible matter,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 286 — Negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever does, with any explosive substance, any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life, or to be likely to cause hurt or injury to any other person, or knowingly or negligently omits to take such order with any explosive substance in his possession as is sufficient to guard against any probable danger to human life from that substance,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 287 — Negligent conduct with respect to machinery

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever does, with any machinery, any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or to be likely to cause hurt or injury to any other person, or knowingly or negligently omits to take such order with any machinery in his possession or under his care as is sufficient to guard against any probable danger to human life from such machinery,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 288 — Negligent conduct with respect to pulling down or repairing buildings

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever, in pulling down or repairing any building, knowingly or negligently omits to take such order with that building as is sufficient to guard against any probable danger to human life from the fall of that building, or of any part thereof,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 289 — Negligent conduct with respect to animal

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever knowingly or negligently omits to take such order with any animal in his possession as is sufficient to guard against any probable danger to human life, or any probable danger of grievous hurt from such animal,

Punishment

shall be punished 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.

  • Imprisonment: six months.
  • Fine: one thousand rupees.

Section 292 — Sale, etc., of obscene books, etc.

India Code (official)

Offence

For the purposes of sub-section (2), a book, pamphlet, paper, writing, drawing, painting representation, figure or any other object, shall be deemed to be obscene if it is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest or if its effect, or (where it comprises two or more distinct items) the effect of any one of its items, is, if taken as a whole, such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it.
Whoever:
sells, lets to hire, distributes, publicly exhibits or in any manner puts into circulation, or for purposes of sale, hire, distribution, public exhibition or circulation, makes, reduces or has in his possession any obscene book, pamphlet, paper, drawing, painting, representation or figure or any other obscene object whatsoever, or
imports, exports or conveys any obscene object for any of the purposes aforesaid, or knowing or having reason to believe that such object will be sold, let to hire, distributed or publicly exhibited or in any manner put into circulation, or
takes part in or receives profits from any business in the course of which he knows or has reason to believe that any such obscene objects are, for any of the purposes aforesaid, made, produced, purchased, kept, imported, exported, conveyed, publicly exhibited or in any manner put into circulation, or
advertises or makes known by any means whatsoever that any person is engaged or is ready to engage in any act which is an offence under this section, or that any such obscene object can be procured from or through any person, or
offers or attempts to do any act which is an offence under this section,

Punishment

shall be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, and with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees, and, in the event of a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, and also with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees.

  • Imprisonment: two years.
  • Fine: two thousand rupees.

Section 293 — Sale, etc., of obscene objects to young person

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever sells, lets to hire, distributes, exhibits or circulates to any person under the age of twenty years any such obscene object as is referred to in the last preceding section, or offers or attempts so to do,

Punishment

shall be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees, and, in the event of a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and also with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees.

  • Imprisonment: three years.
  • Fine: two thousand rupees.

Section 294 — Obscene acts and songs

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever, to the annoyance of others:
does any obscene act in any public place, or
sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place,

Punishment

shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both.

  • Imprisonment: three months.

Section 294A — Keeping lottery office

India Code (official)

Offence

Whoever keeps any office or place for the purpose of drawing any lottery not being a State lottery or a lottery authorised by the State Government,

Punishment

shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.

  • Imprisonment: six months.