BNS238
BNS Section 238: Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender
Punishment punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine; punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine; punished with imprisonment of the description provided for the offence, for a term which may extend to one-fourth part of the longest term of the imprisonment provided for the offence, or with fine, or with both
Copied verbatim from the section text below.
Arrest, bail & court
- Non-cognizable · Bailable · Magistrate of the first class (If punishable with imprisonment for life or imprisonment for 10 years)
- Non-cognizable · Bailable · Court by which the offence is triable (If punishable with less than 10 years' imprisonment)
From the BNSS, 2023, First Schedule (machine-extracted; check the Schedule for anything consequential).
Verbatim · BNS238. Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender.— Whoever, knowing or having reason to believe that an offence has been committed, causes any evidence of the commission of that offence to disappear, with the intention of screening the offender from legal punishment, or with that intention gives any information respecting the offence which he knows or believes to be false shall, — (a) if the offence which he knows or believes to have been committed is punishable with death, be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine; (b) if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment which may extend to ten years, be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine; (c) if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for any term not extending to ten years, be punished with imprisonment of the description provided for the offence, for a term which may extend to one-fourth part of the longest term of the imprisonment provided for the offence, or with fine, or with both.Illustration. A, knowing that B has murdered Z, assists B to hide the body with the intention of screening B from punishment. A is liable to imprisonment of either description for seven years, and also to fine.
Corresponds (indicatively) to IPC 201 of the repealed Indian Penal Code, 1860. IPC → BNS table
Cite as: Section 238, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Act No. 45 of 2023)