Furnishing false information.
- Whoever, being legally bound to furnish information on any subject to any
public servant, as such, furnishes, as true, information on the subject which he knows or has
reason to believe to be false,––
(a) shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to
six months, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both;
(b) where the information which he is legally bound to give respects the
commission of an offence, or is required for the purpose of preventing the commission
of an offence, or in order to the apprehension of an offender, with imprisonment of
either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
Illustrations.
(a) A, a landholder, knowing of the commission of a murder within the limits of
his estate, wilfully misinforms the Magistrate of the district that the death has occurred
by accident in consequence of the bite of a snake. A is guilty of the offence defined in
this section.
(b) A, a village watchman, knowing that a considerable body of strangers has
passed through his village in order to commit a dacoity in the house of Z, a wealthy
merchant residing in a neighbouring place, and being legally bound to give early and
punctual information of the above fact to the officer of the nearest police station,
wilfully misinforms the police officer that a body of suspicious characters passed
through the village with a view to commit dacoity in a certain distant place in a different
direction. Here A is guilty of the offence defined in this section.
Explanation.—In section 211 and in this section the word “offence” include any act
committed at any place out of India, which, if committed in India, would be punishable
under any of the following sections, namely, 103, 105, 307, sub-sections (2), (3) and (4) of
section 309, sub-sections (2), (3), (4) and (5) of section 310, 311, 312, clauses (f) and (g) of
section 326, sub-sections (4), (6), (7) and (8) of section 331, clauses (a) and (b) of
section 332 and the word “offender” includes any person who is alleged to have been
guilty of any such act.