Whoever in any manner intentionally prevents the serving on himself, or on any other person, of any summons, notice or order, proceeding from any public servant legally competent, as such public servant, to issue such summons, notice or order, or intentionally prevents the lawful affixing to any place of any such summons, notice or order, or intentionally removes any such summons, notice or order from any place to which it is lawfully affixed, or intentionally prevents the lawful making of any proclamation, under the authority of any public servant legally competent, as such public servant, to direct such proclamation to be made, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to $5002008$1,5002008, or with both; or, if the summons, notice, order, or proclamation is to attend in person or by agent, or to produce a document or an electronic record2008 before a court of justice, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 6 months, or with fine which may extend to $1,000 2008$3,0002008, or with both.
Section history
Section 173 — Preventing service of summons, etc., or preventing publication thereof
Consolidated view is experimental and may be broken for certain provisions.
Section 173 — Original text to 1 January 2020superseded
Section 173 — From 1 January 2020 (current)restructured by Criminal Law Reform Act 2019
(1)A person who in any manner —
(a)intentionally prevents the serving on himself, or on any other person, of any summons, notice or order, proceeding from any public servant legally competent, as such public servant, to issue such summons, notice or order;
(b)intentionally prevents the lawful affixing to any place of any such summons, notice or order, or intentionally removes any such summons, notice or order from any place to which it is lawfully affixed; or
(c)intentionally prevents the lawful making of any proclamation, under the authority of any public servant legally competent, as such public servant, to direct such proclamation to be made,
shall —
(d)in the case of an individual, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to $1,500, or with both; or
(e)in any other case, be punished with fine which may extend to $10,000.
(2)If the summons, notice, order, or proclamation is to attend in person or by agent before a court, or to produce a document or an electronic record before a court, any person who is guilty of an offence under subsection (1) shall —
(a)in the case of an individual, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 6 months, or with fine which may extend to $5,000, or with both; or
(b)in any other case, be punished with fine which may extend to $10,000.