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Indian Penal Code, 1860 · Chapter XI: Of False Evidence and Offences against Public Justice

Section 225: Resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension of another person

The Indian Penal Code, 1860 was repealed and replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 from 1 July 2024. It still applies to matters and proceedings from before that date, as the repealing law provides.

Now in the BNS section 263 (Resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension of another person)

In plain words

Intentionally resisting or obstructing the lawful arrest of another person for an offence, or rescuing or attempting to rescue them from lawful custody, is punishable with imprisonment of either description for up to two years, or fine, or both. Higher punishments apply for more serious cases.

  • If the person is charged with an offence punishable with imprisonment for life or up to ten years: up to three years, and a fine.
  • If charged with an offence punishable with death: up to seven years, and a fine.
  • If under sentence of imprisonment for life or ten years or more: up to seven years, and a fine.
  • If under sentence of death: imprisonment for life or up to ten years, and a fine.

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 intentionally offers any resistance or illegal obstruction to the lawful apprehension of any other person for an offence, or rescues or attempts to rescue any other person from any custody in which that person is lawfully detained for an offence, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both; or, if the person to be apprehended, or the person rescued or attempted to be rescued, is charged with or liable to be apprehended for an offence punishable with [imprisonment for life] or imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine; or, if the person to be apprehended or rescued, or attempted to be rescued, is charged with or liable to be apprehended for an offence punishable with death, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine; or, if the person to be apprehended or rescued, or attempted to be rescued, is liable under the sentence of a Court of Justice, or by virtue of a commutation of such a sentence, to [imprisonment for life], ***

*** *** or imprisonment, for a term of ten years or upwards, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine; or, if the person to be apprehended or rescued, or attempted to be rescued, is under sentence of death, shall be punished with [imprisonment for life] or imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.

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 (Legislative Department), the text of the Act as it stood before its repeal. 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.

Supreme Court judgments citing the section 225