Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XIII: Of Contempts of the Lawful Authority of Public Servants
Section 223: Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant
In plain words
Knowingly disobeying a lawful order from an empowered public servant is punishable with simple imprisonment up to six months, or a fine up to two thousand and five hundred rupees, or both, if it causes or risks obstruction, annoyance or injury to anyone lawfully employed.
- If it endangers human life, health or safety, or causes or tends to cause a riot or affray: up to one year, or a fine up to five thousand rupees, or both.
- The offender need not intend harm. Knowing of the order and disobeying it, where harm results or is likely, is enough.
Example: A knowingly leads a religious procession down a street where a lawful order banned it, causing danger of a riot. A commits this offence.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
Whoever, knowing that, by an order promulgated by a public servant lawfully empowered to promulgate such order, he is directed to abstain from a certain act, or to take certain order with certain property in his possession or under his management, disobeys such direction,—
(a) shall, if such disobedience causes or tends to cause obstruction, annoyance or injury, or risk of obstruction, annoyance or injury, to any person lawfully employed, be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to two thousand and five hundred rupees, or with both;
(b) and where such disobedience causes or tends to cause danger to human life, health or safety, or causes or tends to cause a riot or affray, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both.
Explanation.—It is not necessary that the offender should intend to produce harm, or contemplate his disobedience as likely to produce harm. It is sufficient that he knows of the order which he disobeys, and that his disobedience produces, or is likely to produce, harm.
Illustration
An order is promulgated by a public servant lawfully empowered to promulgate such order, directing that a religious procession shall not pass down a certain street. A knowingly disobeys the order, and thereby causes danger of riot. A has committed the offence defined in this section.
Corresponding sections were matched by comparing the wording of both official texts, and for the IPC and BNS, also against a published correspondence table. Wording, punishments and structure often changed, so read both sections before relying on the match.
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 25 August 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 223
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.