Indian Penal Code, 1860
Undue influence at elections.—
Section
171C
Punishment
Depends on original offence
Cognizable
Depends on original offence
Bailable
Depends on original offence
Compoundable
Non-Compoundable (Refer to CrPC 320 for exceptions)
Trial Court
Depends on original offence
Bare Act Text
171C. Undue influence at elections.—
(1)Whoever voluntarily interferes or attempts to interfere with the free exercise of any electoral right commits the offence of undue influence at an election.(2)Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of sub-section (1), whoever—(a)threatens any candidate or voter, or any person in whom a candidate or voter is interested, with injury of any kind, or(b)induces or attempts to induce a candidate or voter to believe that he or any person in whom he is interested will become or will be rendered an object of Divine displeasure or of spiritual censure,shall be deemed to interfere with the free exercise of the electoral right of such candidate or voter, within the meaning of sub-section (1).(3)A declaration of public policy or a promise of public action, or the mere exercise of a legal right without intent to interfere with an electoral right, shall not be deemed to be interference within the meaning of this section.
What is IPC Section 171C ?
According to the official bare act, this legal offense is defined as: 171C. Undue influence at elections.—
(1)Whoever voluntarily interferes or attempts to interfere with the free exercise of any electoral right commits the offence of undue influence at an election.(2)Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of sub-section (1), whoever—(a)threatens any candidate or voter, or any person in whom a candidate or voter is interested, with injury of any kind, or(b)induces or attempts to induce a candidate or voter to believe that he or any person in whom he is interested will become or will be rendered an object of Divine displeasure or of spiritual censure,shall be deemed to interfere with the free exercise of the electoral right of such candidate or voter, within the meaning of sub-section (1).(3)A declaration of public policy or a promise of public action, or the mere exercise of a legal right without intent to interfere with an electoral right, shall not be deemed to be interference within the meaning of this section.
What is the punishment for Dhara 171C ?
The punishment for this specific offense is outlined under the law as: Depends on original offence
Is IPC 171C bailable or non-bailable?
Under the Indian Penal Code, this specific offense is classified as a Depends on original offence offense.
Is Dhara 171C 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 IPC 171C cases?
Cases pertaining to this specific IPC section are triable by the Depends on original offence.
Can IPC Section 171C 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).
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.