Wrongful confinement to extort property, or constrain to illegal act
Section 347 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with wrongful confinement to extort property, or constrain to illegal act. Whoever wrongfully confines any person for the purpose of extorting from the person confined, or from any person interested in the person confined, any property or valuable security or of constraining the person confined or any person interested in such person to do anything illegal or to give any i 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 Repealed by section 358 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and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 wrongfully confines any person for the purpose of extorting from the person confined, or from any person interested in the person confined, any property or valuable security or of constraining the person confined or any person interested in such person to do anything illegal or to give any information which may facilitate the commission of an offence, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Section 347, The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860).
Now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
BNS 127 Wrongful confinement Close, with changes 80%
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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.
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Bhulan Kumar @ Bhulan Rai vs The State of Bihar
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Anticipatory bail may be granted to a person apprehending arrest under Sections 366 and 347 IPC when the accused has clean antecedents, the circumstances suggest no actual criminal misconduct (such as when the alleged victim's family intends to marry the accused's relative), and no actual harm has been established against the alleged victim, provided stringent conditions are imposed to ensure the accused's appearance and prevent misuse of bail.
On this section: Charge of wrongful confinement; basis for criminal case against 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.
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.
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… Court convicted the accused as follows: (i) A1 and A2 were found guilty of the offences under Sections 120B of The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (hereinafter referred to as 'the IPC', for short), Section 365 read with Section 109 of the IPC, Section 387 of the IPC, Section 302 read with Section 109 of the IPC, Section 347 read with 109 of the IPC and under Section 364 read with Section 109 of the IPC. (ii) A3 is found to have acted upon the conspiracy of A1 and A2. He was found guilty of the offences under Section 365 read with Section 109 of the IPC, Section 387 of the IPC, Section 302 of the IPC, Section 347 …
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… Court convicted the accused as follows: (i) A1 and A2 were found guilty of the offences under Sections 120B of The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (hereinafter referred to as 'the IPC', for short), Section 365 read with Section 109 of the IPC, Section 387 of the IPC, Section 302 read with Section 109 of the IPC, Section 347 read with 109 of the IPC and under Section 364 read with Section 109 of the IPC. (ii) A3 is found to have acted upon the conspiracy of A1 and A2. He was found guilty of the offences under Section 365 read with Section 109 of the IPC, Section 387 of the IPC, Section 302 of the IPC, Section 347 …
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… Court convicted the accused as follows: (i) A1 and A2 were found guilty of the offences under Sections 120B of The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (hereinafter referred to as 'the IPC', for short), Section 365 read with Section 109 of the IPC, Section 387 of the IPC, Section 302 read with Section 109 of the IPC, Section 347 read with 109 of the IPC and under Section 364 read with Section 109 of the IPC. (ii) A3 is found to have acted upon the conspiracy of A1 and A2. He was found guilty of the offences under Section 365 read with Section 109 of the IPC, Section 387 of the IPC, Section 302 of the IPC, Section 347 …
Questions about Section 347
What have the courts held on Section 347 of the Indian Penal Code?
Bhulan Kumar @ Bhulan Rai vs The State of Bihar (11 Mar 2014) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Charge of wrongful confinement; basis for criminal case against petitioner.
How do I find court cases under Section 347 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 347, section 347 IPC, section 347 of the Indian Penal Code. People searching for it also type ipc 347g and ipc 347 punishment. 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 Bhulan Kumar @ Bhulan Rai vs The State of Bihar (11 Mar 2014).
What should I read with Section 347 of the Indian Penal Code, and has it changed?
For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BNS 127 (Wrongful confinement), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.
When did Section 347 of the Indian Penal Code come into force?
Section 347 of the Indian Penal Code, cited as IPC 347, 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
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