Assaulting President, Governor, etc., with intent to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power
Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with assaulting President, Governor, etc., with intent to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power. Whoever, with the intention of inducing or compelling the [President] of India, or [Governor ] of any State, to exercise or refrain from exercising in any manner any of the lawful powers of such [President or [Governor ], assaults or wrongfully restrains, or attempts wrongfully to restrain, or overa The Act came into force on 01 Jan 1862. Repealed by section 358 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under it.
Whoever, with the intention of inducing or compelling the [President] of India, or [Governor ] of any State, to exercise or refrain from exercising in any manner any of the lawful powers of such [President or [Governor ],
assaults or wrongfully restrains, or attempts wrongfully to restrain, or overawes, by means of criminal force or the show of criminal force, or attempts so to overawe, such [President or [Governor ], for life or any shorter term".
7. Ins. by Act 16 of 1921, s. 3.
8. Subs. by the A. O. 1950, for "Queen".
9. Subs. by Act 26 of 1955, s. 117 and Sch., for "transportation for life".
10. Subs. by Act 16 of 1921, s. 2, for "and shall forfeit all his property".
11. Subs. by the A. O. 1950, for "Governor General".
12. Subs. by Act 3 of 1951, s. 3 and Sch., for "Governor".
13. The words "or Rajpramukh" omitted by the Adaptation of Laws (No.
2) Order, 1956.
14. The words "or a Leutenant-Governor" rep. by the A. O. 1937.
15. The words "or a Member of the Council of the Governor General of India" rep. by the A. O. 1948.
16. The words "or of the Council of any Presidency" rep. by the A. O. 1937.
17. The original words "Governor General, Governor, Lieutenant- Governor or Member of Council" have successively been amended by the A.O. 1937, A. O. 1948 and A. O. 1950 to read as above.
shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Section 124, The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860).
Now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
BNS 151 Assaulting President, Governor, etc., with intent to compel or restrain exercise of any lawful power Close, with changes 74%
Measured by comparing the text of the two provisions, not taken from an official correspondence table — there is no machine-readable one. See both texts side by side before relying on it.
Both regimes are live. The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force. We never redirect one to the other.
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.
-
Muhammed Mustafa vs State of Kerala
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
An accused person can be permitted to renew their passport during the pendency of criminal proceedings, provided that: (1) the final report has not been filed in the case; (2) appropriate conditions are imposed to ensure the accused's availability for investigation and trial, including furnishing foreign address, contact numbers, and self-addressed stamped envelopes for service of process; and (3) the renewal period is limited (in this case, three years).
On this section: Offence under which Crime No. 124 of 2015 was registered against the petitioner
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.
Questions about Section 124
What have the courts held on Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code?
Muhammed Mustafa vs State of Kerala (30 Nov 2018) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Offence under which Crime No. 124 of 2015 was registered against the petitioner.
How do I find court cases under Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code?
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: IPC 124, section 124 IPC, section 124 of the Indian Penal Code. People searching for it also type ipc 124a and ipc 124a in bns in hindi. 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 Muhammed Mustafa vs State of Kerala (30 Nov 2018).
What should I read with Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code, and has it changed?
For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BNS 151 (Assaulting President, Governor, etc., with intent to compel or restrain exercise of any lawful power), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.
When did Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code come into force?
Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code, cited as IPC 124, came into force on 01 Jan 1862, having been enacted on 06 Oct 1860. It is no longer in force.
Other sections of this Act
- 499. Defamation1512 words
- 464. Making a false document1223 words
- 300. Murder1172 words
- 378. Theft980 words
- 108. Abettor745 words
- 403. Dishonest misappropriation of property727 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. Recovered from the consolidated text published by India Code (item 7b7d4fe6-206b-4e33-81f1-b98b018acaf6). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.