CHAPTER XIX
OF CRIMINAL INTIMIDATION, INSULT, ANNOYANCE, DEFAMATION, ETC.
Criminal intimidation.
- (1) Whoever threatens another by any means, with any injury to his person,
reputation or property, or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is
interested, with intent to cause alarm to that person, or to cause that person to do any act
which he is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do any act which that person is legally
entitled to do, as the means of avoiding the execution of such threat, commits criminal
intimidation.
Explanation.—A threat to injure the reputation of any deceased person in whom the
person threatened is interested, is within this section.
Illustration.
A, for the purpose of inducing B to resist from prosecuting a civil suit, threatens to
burn B’s house. A is guilty of criminal intimidation.
(2) Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation shall be punished with
imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or
with both.
(3) Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation by threatening to cause
death or grievous hurt, or to cause the destruction of any property by fire, or to cause an
offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment for a term which
may extend to seven years, or to impute unchastity to a woman, shall be punished with
imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine,
or with both.
(4) Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation by an anonymous
communication, or having taken precaution to conceal the name or abode of the person from
whom the threat comes, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term
which may extend to two years, in addition to the punishment provided for the offence under
sub-section (1).