
Indian Penal Code, 1860
Illegal payments in connection with an election.—
Section
171H
Punishment
Fine
Cognizable
Non-cognizable
Bailable
Bailable
Compoundable
Non-Compoundable (Refer to CrPC 320 for exceptions)
Trial Court
Any Magistrate
Bare Act Text
171H. Illegal payments in connection with an election.—
Whoever without the general or special authority in writing of a candidate incurs or authorises expenses on account of the holding of any public meeting, or upon any advertisement, circular or publication, or in any other way whatsoever for the purpose of promoting or procuring the election of such candidate, shall be punished with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees: Provided that if any person having incurred any such expenses not exceeding the amount of ten rupees without authority obtains within ten days from the date on which such expenses were incurred the approval in writing of the candidate, he shall be deemed to have incurred such expenses with the authority of the candidate.
What is IPC Section 171H ?
According to the official bare act, this legal offense is defined as: 171H. Illegal payments in connection with an election.—
Whoever without the general or special authority in writing of a candidate incurs or authorises expenses on account of the holding of any public meeting, or upon any advertisement, circular or publication, or in any other way whatsoever for the purpose of promoting or procuring the election of such candidate, shall be punished with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees: Provided that if any person having incurred any such expenses not exceeding the amount of ten rupees without authority obtains within ten days from the date on which such expenses were incurred the approval in writing of the candidate, he shall be deemed to have incurred such expenses with the authority of the candidate.
What is the punishment for Dhara 171H ?
The punishment for this specific offense is outlined under the law as: Fine
Is IPC 171H bailable or non-bailable?
Under the Indian Penal Code, this specific offense is classified as a Bailable offense.
Is Dhara 171H 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 171H cases?
Cases pertaining to this specific IPC section are triable by the Any Magistrate.
Can IPC Section 171H 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 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.






















