Whoever, knowing or having reason to believe that an offence has been committed, causes any evidence of the commission of that offence to disappear with the intention of screening the offender from legal punishment, or with that intention gives any information respecting the offence which he knows or believes to be false, shall, if the offence which he knows or believes to have been committed is punishable with death, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 710 years, and shall also be liable to fine; and if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment which may extend to 1020 years, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 37 years, and shall also be liable to fine, and if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for any term not extending to 1020 years, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one-fourth part of the longest term of the imprisonment provided for the offence, or with fine, or with both.
Section history
Section 201 — Causing disappearance of evidence of an offence committed, or giving false information touching it, to screen the offender. If a capital offence. If punishable with imprisonment for life. If punishable with less than 20 years imprisonment
As in force on 1 February 2008.
IllustrationIllustrations
A, knowing that B has murdered Z, assists B to hide the body with the intention of screening B from punishment. A is liable to imprisonment for 710 years, and also to fine.