Establishing, maintaining or working unauthorised telegraph. 20A. Breach of condition of license
Section 20 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 deals with establishing, maintaining or working unauthorised telegraph. 20A. Breach of condition of license. If any person establishes, maintains or works a telegraph within[India] in contravention of the provisions of section 4 or otherwise tlian as permitted by rules made under that section, he shall be punished, if the telegraph is a wireless telegraph, with imprisonment which may extend to three years, The Act came into force on 01 Oct 1885.
1[20. Establishing, maintaining or working unauthorised telegraph.--(1) If any person establishes, maintains or works a telegraph within2[India] in contravention of the provisions of section 4 or otherwise tlian as permitted by rules made under that section, he shall be punished, if the telegraph is a wireless telegraph, with imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both, and, in any other case, with a fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (5 of 1898), offences under this section in respect of a wireless telegraph shall, for the purposes of the said Code, be bailable and non-cognizable.
(3) When any person is convicted of an offence punishable under this section, the Court before which he is convicted may direct that the telegraph in respect of which the offence has been committed, or any part of such telegraph, be forfeited to Government.]
Section 20, The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 (Act 13 of 1885).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Inspector of Police (CBI) v. Abdul Hakeem
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Final Order order-2.pdf 2023-07-20 DATE VERIFIED (G. Jayachandran J.). Clarifies Indian Telegraph Act s.3(1-AA) definition of telegraph includes telephone/VoIP exchange; illegal parallel telecom hub attracts s.20 (establishing unauthorised telegraph) and s.21. Appeal abated on death but corrects Sessions Court misconstruction excluding telephones.
On this section: s.20 establishing/maintaining unauthorised telegraph — illegal telephone/VoIP hub falls within s.3(1-AA) telegraph definition and attracts s.20.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Made under this section, and citing it
3 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 20
What have the courts held on Section 20 of the Indian Telegraph Act?
Inspector of Police (CBI) v. Abdul Hakeem (20 Jul 2023) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.20 establishing/maintaining unauthorised telegraph — illegal telephone/VoIP hub falls within s.3(1-AA) telegraph definition and attracts s.20.
How do I find court cases under Section 20 of the Indian Telegraph Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Indian Telegraph Act 1885 20, section 20 Indian Telegraph Act 1885, section 20 of the Indian Telegraph Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Inspector of Police (CBI) v. Abdul Hakeem (20 Jul 2023).
What should I read with Section 20 of the Indian Telegraph Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 4 (Exclusive privilege in respect of telegraphs, and power to grant licenses), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 3 instruments name it without being made under it, most recently The Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Service) Amendment Rules, 1984 (1984), then The Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Service) Rules, 1978. (1978).
When did Section 20 of the Indian Telegraph Act come into force?
Section 20 of the Indian Telegraph Act, cited as Indian Telegraph Act 1885 20, came into force on 01 Oct 1885, having been enacted on 22 Jul 1885. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 7. Power to make rules for the conduct of telegraphs901 words
- 4. Exclusive privilege in respect of telegraphs, and power to grant licenses597 words
- 19A. Person exercising legal right likely to damage telegraph or interfere with telegraphic communication to give notice325 words
- 16. Exercise of powers conferred by section 10, and disputes as to compensation, in case of property other than that of a local authority325 words
- 3. Definitions316 words
- 5. Power for Government to take possession of licensed telegraphs and to order interception of messages296 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.