Indian Penal Code, 1860
Refusing oath or affirmation when duly required by public servant to make it.—
Section
178
Punishment
Imprisonment up to Six Month(s) + Fine
Cognizable
Non-cognizable
Bailable
Bailable
Compoundable
Non-Compoundable (Refer to CrPC 320 for exceptions)
Trial Court
Any Magistrate
Bare Act Text
178. Refusing oath or affirmation when duly required by public servant to make it.—
Whoever refuses to bind himself by an oath or affirmation to state the truth, when required so to bind himself by a public servant legally competent to require that he shall so bind himself, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.
What is IPC Section 178 ?
According to the official bare act, this legal offense is defined as: 178. Refusing oath or affirmation when duly required by public servant to make it.—
Whoever refuses to bind himself by an oath or affirmation to state the truth, when required so to bind himself by a public servant legally competent to require that he shall so bind himself, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.
What is the punishment for Dhara 178 ?
The punishment for this specific offense is outlined under the law as: Imprisonment up to Six Month(s) + Fine
Is IPC 178 bailable or non-bailable?
Under the Indian Penal Code, this specific offense is classified as a Bailable offense.
Is Dhara 178 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 178 cases?
Cases pertaining to this specific IPC section are triable by the Any Magistrate.
Can IPC Section 178 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).
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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.