Whoever, being bound by law to render or furnish assistance to any public servant in the execution of his public duty, intentionally omits to give such assistance, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to $2002008$1,0002008, or with both; and if such assistance is demanded of him by a public servant legally competent to make such demand for the purposes of executing any process lawfully issued by a court of justice, or of preventing the commission of an offence, or of suppressing a riot or affray, or of apprehending a person charged with or guilty of an offence, or of having escaped from lawful custody, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 6 months, or with fine which may extend to $500 ,2008$2,500,2008 or with both.
Section history
Section 187 — Omission to assist public servant when bound by law to give assistance
Consolidated view is experimental and may be broken for certain provisions.
Section 187 — Original text to 30 November 2008superseded
Section 187 — 30 November 2008 to 1 January 2020rewritten by the Revised Edition
Whoever, being bound by law to render or furnish assistance to any public servant in the execution of his public duty, intentionally omits to give such assistance, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to $1,000, or with both; and if such assistance is demanded of him by a public servant legally competent to make such demand for the purposes of executing any process lawfully issued by a court of justice, or of preventing the commission of an offence, or of suppressing a riot or an affray, or of apprehending a person charged with or guilty of an offence, or of having escaped from lawful custody, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 6 months, or with fine which may extend to $2,500, or with both.
[Indian PC 1860, s. 187]
Section 187 — From 1 January 2020 (current)rewritten by Criminal Law Reform Act 2019
(1)A person who, being bound by law to render or furnish assistance to any public servant in the execution of the public servant’s public duty, intentionally omits to give such assistance, shall —
(a)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
(b)in any other case, be punished with fine which may extend to $10,000.
(2)If such assistance is demanded of the person mentioned in subsection (1) by a public servant legally competent to make such demand for the purposes of executing any process lawfully issued by a court, or of preventing the commission of an offence, or of suppressing a riot or an affray, or of apprehending a person charged with or guilty of an offence, or of having escaped from lawful custody, the person who is guilty of an offence under that subsection 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.