IPC Section 166 In English

Indian Penal Code, 1860

Public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person.—

Section

166

Punishment

Imprisonment up to One Year(s) + Fine

Cognizable

Non-cognizable

Bailable

Compoundable

Non-Compoundable (Refer to CrPC 320 for exceptions)

Trial Court

Any Magistrate

Bare Act Text

166. Public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person.— Whoever, being a public servant, knowingly disobeys any direction of the law as to the way in which he is to conduct himself as such public servant, intending to cause, or knowing it to be likely that he will, by such disobedience, cause injury to any person, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.IllustrationA, being an officer directed by law to take property in execution, in order to satisfy a decree pronounced in Z’s favour by a Court of Justice, knowingly disobeys that direction of law, with the knowledge that he is likely thereby to cause injury to Z. A has committed the offence defined in this section.

What is IPC Section 166 ?

According to the official bare act, this legal offense is defined as: 166. Public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person.— Whoever, being a public servant, knowingly disobeys any direction of the law as to the way in which he is to conduct himself as such public servant, intending to cause, or knowing it to be likely that he will, by such disobedience, cause injury to any person, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.IllustrationA, being an officer directed by law to take property in execution, in order to satisfy a decree pronounced in Z’s favour by a Court of Justice, knowingly disobeys that direction of law, with the knowledge that he is likely thereby to cause injury to Z. A has committed the offence defined in this section.

What is the punishment for Dhara 166 ?

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

Is IPC 166 bailable or non-bailable?

Under the Indian Penal Code, this specific offense is classified as a Bailable offense.

Is Dhara 166 a cognizable offense?

The legal status regarding police arrest without a warrant is that this offense isNon-cognizable.

Which court has the jurisdiction to try IPC 166 cases?

Cases pertaining to this specific IPC section are triable by the Any Magistrate.

Can IPC Section 166 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 CrPC 320 for exceptions).

Disclaimer:

This article is for general legal information only and is not a substitute for professional legal advice. Please consult a qualified advocate for your specific case.

Pramod 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.