● Retained in BNS
IPC Section 503 defined criminal intimidation -- threatening injury to a person, their reputation or property with intent to cause alarm or compel an act. BNS Section 351(1) retains this definition; punishment is set out separately in Section 351(2)-(4) (formerly IPC 506).
Section 503 IPC defined criminal intimidation: threatening injury to a person, their reputation or property (or to someone in whom they are interested) with intent to cause alarm or to compel any act or omission.
BNS Section 351(1) retains the definition of criminal intimidation in substantially the same terms.
Definition carried over substantially unchanged; renumbered from IPC 503 to BNS 351(1).
Section 503 itself carries no independent punishment. Punishment is prescribed under Section 506: simple criminal intimidation is punished with imprisonment up to 2 years, or fine, or both. Where the threat is to cause death, grievous hurt, destruction of property by fire, an offence punishable with death or life imprisonment, or to impute unchastity to a woman, punishment extends to imprisonment up to 7 years, or fine, or both..
IPC 503 is bailable..
This is a non-cognizable. offence.
Compoundable for simple threats under the first part of Section 506; non-compoundable for the aggravated threats under the second part..
Matters under IPC 503 are tried before the Any Magistrate for simple threats; Magistrate of the First Class for aggravated threats..
Common defences include disputing that the words used amounted to a genuine threat rather than a vague or angry remark made without intent to cause alarm, that the complainant was not actually intimidated, and that the alleged threat lacks the specific intent to compel an act or omission that the section requires.
Summaries are for general information and are not legal advice. For the authoritative bare-act text, see the official Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and Indian Penal Code, 1860 (full amended text, as it stood before repeal) on India Code, or the Ministry of Home Affairs' new criminal laws page. ← All comparisons