Assaulting or obstructing public servant when suppressing riot, etc
Section 152 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with assaulting or obstructing public servant when suppressing riot, etc. Whoever assaults or threatens to assault, or obstructs or attempts to obstruct, any public servant in the discharge of his duty as such public servant, in endeavouring to disperse an unlawful assembly, or to suppress a riot or affray, or uses, or threatens, or attempts to use criminal force to such 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 Repealed by section 358 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and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 assaults or threatens to assault, or obstructs or
attempts to obstruct, any public servant in the discharge of his duty as such public servant, in endeavouring to disperse an unlawful assembly, or to suppress a riot or affray, or uses, or threatens, or attempts to use criminal force to such public servant, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
Section 152, The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860).
Now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
BNS 195 Assaulting or obstructing public servant when suppressing riot, etc Text carried over almost unchanged 96%
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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
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.
-
Ranjeet Yadav vs State of U.p.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
An FIR disclosing prima facie cognizable offences cannot be quashed at the writ petition stage merely on the assertion that allegations are false and concocted. However, interim protection from arrest may be granted to an accused willing to cooperate with investigation, with the condition that the accused participates in the investigation and police conclude the investigation expeditiously.
On this section: Punishment for rioting
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 152
What have the courts held on Section 152 of the Indian Penal Code?
Ranjeet Yadav vs State of U.p. (14 May 2019) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Punishment for rioting.
How do I find court cases under Section 152 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 152, section 152 IPC, section 152 of the Indian Penal Code. 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 Ranjeet Yadav vs State of U.p. (14 May 2019).
What should I read with Section 152 of the Indian Penal Code, and has it changed?
4 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BNS 195 (Assaulting or obstructing public servant when suppressing riot, etc), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.
When did Section 152 of the Indian Penal Code come into force?
Section 152 of the Indian Penal Code, cited as IPC 152, 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.