BNS Section 251- Offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender | Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023
Hello readers! Today, we are going to break down Section 251 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
Offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender.—Whoever gives or causes, or offers or agrees to give or cause, any gratification to any person, or restores or causes the restoration of any property to any person, in consideration of that person’s concealing an offence, or of his screening any person from legal punishment for any offence, or of his not proceeding against any person for the purpose of bringing him to legal punishment shall,—
if the offence is punishable with death, be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine;
if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment which may extend to ten years, be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine;
if the offence is punishable with imprisonment not extending to ten years, be punished with imprisonment of the description provided for the offence for a term which may extend to one-fourth part of the longest term of imprisonment provided for the offence, or with fine, or with both.
Exception.—The provisions of this section and section 250 do not extend to any case in which the offence may lawfully be compounded.
Procedural Details
Punishment
Life Imprisonment or Imprisonment up to Seven Year(s) + Fine
Nature of Offense
Cognizable
Bail Eligibility
Non-bailable
Compoundability
Non-Compoundable (Refer to BNSS 359 for exceptions)
Trial Court
Court of Session
Frequently Asked Questions about BNS Section 251
What is Section 251 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)?
According to the official bare act, this legal offense is defined as: Offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender.—Whoever gives or causes, or offers or agrees to give or cause, any gratification to any person, or restores or causes the restoration of any property to any person, in consideration of that person’s concealing an offence, or of his screening any person from legal punishment for any offence, or of his not proceeding against any person for the purpose of bringing him to legal punishment shall,—
if the offence is punishable with death, be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine;
if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment which may extend to ten years, be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine;
if the offence is punishable with imprisonment not extending to ten years, be punished with imprisonment of the description provided for the offence for a term which may extend to one-fourth part of the longest term of imprisonment provided for the offence, or with fine, or with both.
Exception.—The provisions of this section and section 250 do not extend to any case in which the offence may lawfully be compounded.
What is the punishment under BNS Section251 ?
The punishment for this specific offense is outlined under the new law as: Life Imprisonment or Imprisonment up to Seven Year(s) + Fine
Is BNS Section 251 bailable or non-bailable?
Under the new legal framework, this specific offense is classified as a Non-bailableoffense.
Is BNS Section 251 a cognizable offense?
The legal status regarding police arrest without a warrant is that this offense isCognizable.
Which court has the jurisdiction to try cases under BNS Section 251 ?
Cases pertaining to this specific BNS section are triable by the Court of Session.
Can BNS Section 251 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.