Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XII: Preventive Action of the Police
Section 171: Prevention of injury to public property
In plain words
A police officer can, on their own authority, step in to prevent any attempted injury in their sight to public property, movable or immovable, or the removal or damage of a public landmark, buoy or navigation mark.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
A police officer may of his own authority interpose to prevent any injury attempted to be committed in his view to any public property, movable or immovable, or the removal or injury of any public landmark, buoy or other mark used for navigation.
Corresponding sections were matched by comparing the wording of both official texts, and for the IPC and BNS, also against a published correspondence table. Wording, punishments and structure often changed, so read both sections before relying on the match.
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 12 September 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 171
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.