Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
Section 527
Public servant concerned in sale not to purchase or bid for property
A public servant having any duty to perform in connection with the sale of any property under this Sanhita shall not purchase or bid for the property.
Why this exists
When a court orders property to be sold — for example, seized or attached property sold to recover fines or dues — the official conducting that sale is in a position of trust and control over the process. If that official could also buy the property, it would invite corruption, rigged sales, and unfair pricing at the expense of the true owner or the public. This section removes that conflict of interest entirely by barring such purchases outright. It continues a rule from the earlier Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (as section 481).