Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XII: Of Offences by or Relating to Public Servants
Section 198: Public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person
In plain words
A public servant who knowingly disobeys a legal direction about how they must do their job, intending or knowing it is likely to cause injury to someone, is punishable with simple imprisonment up to one year, or a fine, or both.
Example: An officer told by law to seize property to satisfy a court decree in Z's favour deliberately does not do so, knowing it will harm Z. The officer commits this offence.
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
Whoever, being a public servant, knowingly disobeys any direction of the law as to the way in which he is to conduct himself as such public servant, intending to cause, or knowing it to be likely that he will by such disobedience, cause injury to any person, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
Illustration
A, being an officer directed by law to take property in execution, in order to satisfy a decree pronounced in Z’s favour by a Court, knowingly disobeys that direction of law, with the knowledge that he is likely thereby to cause injury to Z. A has committed the offence defined in this section.
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 25 August 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 198
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IN RE: DIRECTIONS IN THE MATTER OF DEMOLITION OF STRUCTURES versus
Whether the executive should be permitted to take away the shelter of a family or families as a measure for infliction of penalty on a person who is accused in a crime. In other words, whether properties of persons, who…