Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
Section 232
Threatening any person to give false evidence
(1) Whoever threatens another with any injury to his person, reputation or property or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause that person to give false evidence shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.
(2) If innocent person is convicted and sentenced in consequence of false evidence referred to in sub-section (1), with death or imprisonment for more than seven years, the person who threatens shall be punished with the same punishment and sentence in the same manner and to the same extent such innocent person is punished and sentenced.
Why this exists
This is a newer provision introduced in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, that did not have a direct standalone equivalent in the old Indian Penal Code in this exact form. It closes a gap: earlier laws punished the person who gives false evidence, but not clearly the person who coerces someone into giving it. By criminalising the threat itself, the law protects witnesses from intimidation and discourages powerful parties from using fear to manufacture false testimony.
Common misconceptions
- Myth: Only the person who actually lies in court can be punished, not the person who forced them to.
Fact: This section separately punishes the person who threatens someone into giving false evidence, even if that pressure is resisted.