BNS Section 170- Bribery | Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023
Hello readers! Today, we are going to break down Section 170 of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. If you've been wondering what exactly this section covers and how it impacts our legal system, you're in the right place.
Bare Act Text
Bribery.—(1) Whoever—
gives a gratification to any person with the object of inducing him or any other person to exercise any electoral right or of rewarding any person for having exercised any such right; or
accepts either for himself or for any other person any gratification as a reward for exercising any such right or for inducing or attempting to induce any other person to exercise any such right,
commits the offence of bribery:
Provided that a declaration of public policy or a promise of public action shall not be an offence under this section.
A person who offers, or agrees to give, or offers or attempts to procure, a gratification shall be deemed to give a gratification.
A person who obtains or agrees to accept or attempts to obtain a gratification shall be deemed to accept a gratification, and a person who accepts a gratification as a motive for doing what he does not intend to do, or as a reward for doing what he has not done, shall be deemed to have accepted the gratification as a reward.
Procedural Details
Punishment
Depends on original offence
Nature of Offense
Depends on original offence
Bail Eligibility
Depends on original offence
Compoundability
Non-Compoundable (Refer to BNSS 359 for exceptions)
Trial Court
Depends on original offence
Frequently Asked Questions about BNS Section 170
What is Section 170 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)?
According to the official bare act, this legal offense is defined as: Bribery.—(1) Whoever—
gives a gratification to any person with the object of inducing him or any other person to exercise any electoral right or of rewarding any person for having exercised any such right; or
accepts either for himself or for any other person any gratification as a reward for exercising any such right or for inducing or attempting to induce any other person to exercise any such right,
commits the offence of bribery:
Provided that a declaration of public policy or a promise of public action shall not be an offence under this section.
A person who offers, or agrees to give, or offers or attempts to procure, a gratification shall be deemed to give a gratification.
A person who obtains or agrees to accept or attempts to obtain a gratification shall be deemed to accept a gratification, and a person who accepts a gratification as a motive for doing what he does not intend to do, or as a reward for doing what he has not done, shall be deemed to have accepted the gratification as a reward.
What is the punishment under BNS Section170 ?
The punishment for this specific offense is outlined under the new law as: Depends on original offence
Is BNS Section 170 bailable or non-bailable?
Under the new legal framework, this specific offense is classified as a Depends on original offenceoffense.
Is BNS Section 170 a cognizable offense?
The legal status regarding police arrest without a warrant is that this offense isDepends on original offence.
Which court has the jurisdiction to try cases under BNS Section 170 ?
Cases pertaining to this specific BNS section are triable by the Depends on original offence.
Can BNS Section 170 be compromised (Compoundable)?
The compoundable nature of this offense, meaning whether the parties can settle it out of court, is classified as: Non-Compoundable (Refer to BNSS 359 for exceptions).
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Pramod is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of StudyHub. He holds a Master's degree and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Geology, alongside more than 7+ years spent building and verifying competitive exam content for Indian aspirants. He leads StudyHub's editorial process across Indian Polity, the Constitution, Indian Economy, History, Geography, Science, and the platform's other subject areas — checking every article against primary sources (bare act text and Gazette notifications for constitutional topics, government and Economic Survey data for economy content, standard reference material elsewhere) and flagging it for re-verification whenever a relevant amendment, policy, or data update makes an earlier version outdated.