What is the punishment under BNS Section 204?

The punishment for this specific offense is outlined under the new law as: Imprisonment up to Three Year(s) + Fine.

Is BNS Section 204 bailable or non-bailable?

Under the new legal framework, this specific offense is classified as a Non-bailable offense.

Is BNS Section 204 a cognizable offense?

The legal status regarding police arrest without a warrant is that this offense is Cognizable.

Which court has the jurisdiction to try cases under BNS Section 204?

Cases pertaining to this specific BNS section are triable by the Magistrate First Class.

Can BNS Section 204 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).

BNS Section 204- Personating a public servant | Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023

Hello readers! Today, we are going to break down Section 204 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

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 shall not be less than six months but which may extend to three years and with fine.

Procedural Details

Punishment

Imprisonment up to Three Year(s) + Fine

Nature of Offense

Cognizable

Bail Eligibility

Non-bailable

Compoundability

Non-Compoundable (Refer to BNSS 359 for exceptions)

Trial Court

Magistrate First Class

Frequently Asked Questions about BNS Section 204

Pramod Pal Founder and Editor-in-Chief

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.