CHAPTER IX, Section 161-171 of INDIAN PENAL CODE (IPC) – OFFENCES BY OR RELATING TO PUBLIC SERVANTS

161 To 165A.

Rep. by the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (49 of 1988), sec. 31.

166. Public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person.

Whoever, being a public servant, knowingly disobeys any direction of the law as to the way in which he is to conduct himself as such public servant, intending to cause, or knowing it to be likely that he will, by such disobedience, cause injury to any person, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

Illustration-
A, being an officer directed by law to take property in execution, in order to satisfy a decree pronounced in Z’s favour by a Court of Justice, knowingly disobeys that direction of law, with the knowledge that he is likely thereby to cause injury to Z. A has committed the offence defined in this section.

CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENCE
Punishment—Simple imprisonment for 1 year, or fine, or both—Non-cognizable— Bailable—Triable by Magistrate of the first class—Non-compoundable.

166A. Public servant disobeying direction under law.

Whoever, being a public servant,
(a) knowingly disobeys any direction of the law which prohibits him from requiring the attendance at any place of any person for the purpose of investigation into an offence or any other matter, or

(b) knowingly disobeys, to the prejudice of any person, any other direction of the law regulating the manner in which he shall conduct such investigation, or

(c) fails to record any information given to him under sub-section (1) of section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, in relation to cognizable offence punishable under section 326A, section 326B, section 354, section 354B, section 370, section 370A, section 376, section 376A, section 376AB, section 376B, section 376C, section 376D, section 376DA, section 376DB, section 376E or section 509,

shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to two years, and shall also be liable to fine.

**Bold sections namely section 376AB, 376DA, 376DB have been added in August 2018. Here is the full amendment PDF. (88 KB)

CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENCE

Punishment—Imprisonment for 6 months which may extend to 2 years and fine- Cognizable— Bailable—Triable by Magistrate of the first class.

COMMENT
Registration of FIR without holding preliminary inquiry is imperative both in respect of cognizable offence relating to crime against women and other cognizable offences. Section 166A confers no discretion on police officers to hold preliminary inquiry so far as other cognizable offences are concerned.
Lalita Kumari v. Govt of Uttar Pradesh, AIR 2014

166B. Punishment for non-treatment of victim.

Whoever, being in charge of a hospital, public or private, whether run by the Central Government, the State Government, local bodies, or any other person, contravenes the provisions of section 357C of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine or with both.

CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENCE
Punishment—Imprisonment for 1 year or fine or both- Non-Cognizable— Bailable—Triable by Magistrate of the first class.

167. Public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury.

Whoever, being a public servant, and being, as such public servant, charged with the preparation or translation of any document, frames or translates that document in a manner which he knows or believes to be incorrect, intending thereby to cause or knowing it to be likely that he may thereby cause injury to any person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.

CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENCE
Punishment—Imprisonment for 3 years, or fine, or both—Cognizable—Bailable— Triable by Magistrate of the first class—Non-compoundable.

168. Public servant unlawfully engaging in trade.

Whoever, being a public servant, and being legally bound as such public servant not to engage in trade, engages in trade, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENCE
Punishment—Simple imprisonment for 1 year, or fine, or both—Non-cognizable— Bailable—Triable by Magistrate of the first class—Non-compoundable.

169. Public servant unlawfully buying or bidding for property.

Whoever, being a public servant, and being legally bound as such public servant, not to purchase or bid for certain property, purchases or bids for that property, either in his own name or in the name of another, or jointly, or in shares with others, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both; and the property, if purchased, shall be confiscated.

CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENCE
Punishment—Simple imprisonment for 2 years, or fine, or both and confiscation of property, if purchased—Non-cognizable—Bailable—Triable by Magistrate of the first class—Non-compoundable.

170. Personating a public servant.

Whoever pretends to hold any particular office as a public servant, knowing that he does not hold such office or falsely personates any other person holding such office, and in such assumed character does or attempts to do any act under colour of such office, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENCE
Punishment—Imprisonment for 2 years, or fine, or both—Cognizable—Non- bailable—Triable by any Magistrate—Non Compoundable.

171. Wearing garb or carrying token used by public servant with fraudulent intent.

Whoever, not belonging to a certain class of public servants, wears any garb or carries any token resembling any garb or token used by that class of public servants, with the intention that it may be believed, or with the knowledge that it is likely to be believed, that he belongs to that class of public servants, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees, or with both.

CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENCE
Punishment—Imprisonment for 3 months, or fine of 200 rupees, or both—Cognizable—Bailable—Triable by any Magistrate—Non-compoundable.

Next,
CHAPTER IXA (171A-171I) of IPC – Offences Relating to Elections

BUY BEST BOOKS FOR IPC
IPC – Ratanlal and Dhirajlal (student edition)
IPC – Ratanlal and Dhirajlal (full edition)
Lecture Series on Indian Penal Code
IPC Bare Act