Sale of adulterated drugs
Section 275 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with sale of adulterated drugs. Whoever, knowing any drug or medical preparation to have been adulterated in such a manner as to lessen its efficacy, to change its operation, or to render it noxious, sells the same, or offers or exposes it for sale, or issues it from any dispensary for medicinal purposes as unadulterated, or cause 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 Repealed by section 358 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and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, knowing any drug or medical preparation to have been adulterated in such a manner as to lessen its efficacy, to change its operation, or to render it noxious, sells the same, or offers or exposes it for sale, or issues it from any dispensary for medicinal purposes as unadulterated, or causes it to be used for medicinal purposes by any person not knowing of the adulteration, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.
Section 275, The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860).
Now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
BNS 277 Sale of adulterated drugs Text carried over almost unchanged 99%
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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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 4
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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Rakesh Kumar vs State of Bihar& ANR.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
When an Inspector validly lodges an FIR under Section 32(1)(a) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act for offences including sale of expired drugs and violation of drug regulations, and the police conduct proper investigation and submit a charge-sheet, the Magistrate's cognizance order based on prima facie case is legally valid and cannot be quashed under Section 482 CrPC merely because the petitioner claims procedural defects or administrative violations in the parallel licence cancellation proceedings.
On this section: Offence of sale of adulterated drugs
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 275
What have the courts held on Section 275 of the Indian Penal Code?
Rakesh Kumar vs State of Bihar& ANR. (27 Sep 2018) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Offence of sale of adulterated drugs.
How do I find court cases under Section 275 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 275, section 275 IPC, section 275 of the Indian Penal Code. People searching for it also type ipc 275 punishment and ipc 275 in bns. 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 Rakesh Kumar vs State of Bihar& ANR. (27 Sep 2018).
What should I read with Section 275 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 277 (Sale of adulterated drugs), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.
When did Section 275 of the Indian Penal Code come into force?
Section 275 of the Indian Penal Code, cited as IPC 275, 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
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- 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.