Punishment for undue influence or personation at an election
Section 171F of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with punishment for undue influence or personation at an election. Whoever commits the offence of undue influence or personation at an election shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year or with fine, or with both. 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 Repealed by section 358 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and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 commits the offence of undue influence or personation at an election shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year or with fine, or with both.
Section 171F, The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860).
Now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
BNS 174 Punishment for undue influence or personation at an election Text carried over almost unchanged 100%
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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.
Referred to by 6
- Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act s. 19 Disqualifications of being a Councillor
- Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act s. 26 General disqualification for becoming a councillor
- Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act s. 28 Disqualification for being a voter arising out of conviction and corrupt practice
- Karnataka Municipalities Act s. 26 General disqualification for becoming a councillor
- Karnataka Municipalities Act s. 28 Disqualification for being a voter arising out of conviction and corrupt practice
- Representation of the People Act s. 11A Disqualification arising out of conviction and corrupt practices
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.
-
Umar Ansari vs State of Uttar Pradesh
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Criminal antecedents of an accused are a relevant consideration in bail matters but are not an absolute bar to granting anticipatory bail. Where co-accused persons have been granted bail and the core attribution of criminal conduct is disputed to be a matter of trial, bail may be granted with appropriate conditions ensuring trial participation and court appearance, provided the court is satisfied that the case has factual and legal merit for such grant.
On this section: Alleged election code violation related to speech during election time; cited as basis for FIR registration
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.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
-
… Section 11A, as it stands, reads: "11A. Disqualification arising out of conviction and corrupt practices.— (1) If any person, after the commencement of this Act,— is convicted of an offence punishable under section 171E or section 171F of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), or under section 125 or section 135 or clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 136 of this Act, he shall, for a period of six years from the date of the conviction or from the date on which the order takes effect, be is qualified for voting at any election. (2) Any …
-
… Section 11A, as it stands, reads: "11A. Disqualification arising out of conviction and corrupt practices.— (1) If any person, after the commencement of this Act,— is convicted of an offence punishable under section 171E or section 171F of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), or under section 125 or section 135 or clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 136 of this Act, he shall, for a period of six years from the date of the conviction or from the date on which the order takes effect, be is qualified for voting at any election. (2) …
-
… Section 11A, as it stands, reads: "11A. Disqualification arising out of conviction and corrupt practices.— (1) If any person, after the commencement of this Act,— is convicted of an offence punishable under section 171E or section 171F of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), or under section 125 or section 135 or clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 136 of this Act, he shall, for a period of six years from the date of the conviction or from the date on which the order takes effect, be is qualified for voting at any election. (2) …
Questions about Section 171F
What have the courts held on Section 171F of the Indian Penal Code?
Umar Ansari vs State of Uttar Pradesh (06 May 2024) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Alleged election code violation related to speech during election time; cited as basis for FIR registration.
How do I find court cases under Section 171F 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 171F, section 171F IPC, section 171F 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 Umar Ansari vs State of Uttar Pradesh (06 May 2024).
What should I read with Section 171F of the Indian Penal Code, and has it changed?
6 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BNS 174 (Punishment for undue influence or personation at an election), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.
When did Section 171F of the Indian Penal Code come into force?
Section 171F of the Indian Penal Code, cited as IPC 171F, 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.