Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XV: Of Offences Affecting the Public Health, Safety, Convenience, Decency and Morals
Section 280: Making atmosphere noxious to health
In plain words
Deliberately polluting the air in any place so that it becomes harmful to the health of people living, working or passing nearby is punishable with a fine up to one thousand rupees.
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 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, shall be punished with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.
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 280
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.