Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XIV: Of False Evidence and Offences against Public Justice
Section 231: Giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of offence punishable with imprisonment for life or imprisonment
In plain words
Giving or fabricating false evidence intending or knowing it is likely to get someone convicted of an offence punishable with imprisonment for life or seven years or more (but not death) is punished the same as that offence would be.
Example: A gives false evidence to have Z convicted of dacoity. A faces the punishment for dacoity: imprisonment for life or imprisonment, with or without a fine.
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 gives or fabricates false evidence intending thereby to cause, or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby cause, any person to be convicted of an offence which by the law for the time being in force in India is not capital, but punishable with imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for a term of seven years or upwards, shall be punished as a person convicted of that offence would be liable to be punished.
Illustration
A gives false evidence before a Court, intending thereby to cause Z to be convicted of a dacoity. The punishment of dacoity is imprisonment for life, or rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years, with or without fine. A, therefore, is liable to imprisonment for life or imprisonment, with or without fine.
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 231
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.