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Section46
IT Act 2000

Section 46

In force Act 21 of 2000 As on 18 Oct 2026

Read from the scanned gazette. India Code publishes no text for this Act, so the text below was read from the Government's own scan by machine and split into sections by its numbering. It has not been checked against the page word by word. Where it matters, read the scan. Read the scan.

Act 21 of 2000 Cited by 2 provisions

This is a second copy of a Central Act. India Code files it on Tripura's shelf as well as under Parliament, and the text is the same enactment. Read it at The Information Technology Act, 2000, which is the record this site keeps current.

Read from the scanned gazette. India Code publishes no text for this Act, so this text was read from the Government's own scan by machine and split into sections by its numbering. It has not been checked against the page word by word. Where it matters, read the scan. Read the scan.

Section 46 of IT Act 2000. Power to adjudicate. (1) For the purpose of adjudging under this Chapter whether any person has committed a contravention of any of the provisions of this Act or of any rule, regulation, direction or order made thereunder the Central Government shall, subject to the provisions of sub-section (3), ap

Power to adjudicate.

(1) For the purpose of adjudging under this Chapter whether any person has committed a contravention of any of the provisions of this Act or of any rule, regulation, direction or order made thereunder the Central Government shall, subject to the provisions of sub-section (3), appoint any officer not below the rank of a Director to the Government of India or an equivalent officer of a State Government to be an adjudicating officer'for holding an inquiry in the manner prescribed by the Central Government.

(2) The adjudicating officer shall, after giving the person referred to in sub-section (1) a reasonable opportunity for making representation in the matter and if, on such inquiry, he is satisfied that the person has committed the contravention, he may impose such penalty or award such compensation as he thinks fit in accordance with the provisions of that section.

(3) No person shall be appointed as an adjudicating officer unless he possesses such experience in the field of Information Technology and legal or judicial experience as may be prescribed by the Central Government.

(4) Where more than one adjudicating officers are appointed, the Central Government shall specify by order the matters and places with respect to which such officers shall exercise their jurisdiction. Fare Judicial he (5) Every adjudicating officer shall have the powers of a civil court which are conferred oh the Cyber Appellate Tribunal under sub-section (2) of section 58, and- (a) all proceedings before it shall be deemed to be judicial proceedings within the meaning of sections 193 and 228 of the Indian Penal Code;

(b) shall be deemed to be a civil court for the purposes of sections 345 and 346 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.

Section 46, IT Act 2000 (Act 21 of 2000).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

This section refers to

  1. Indian Penal Code s. 193 Punishment for false evidence
  2. Indian Penal Code s. 228 Intentional insult or interruption to public servant sitting in judicial proceeding
  3. s. 58

Referred to by 2

  1. s. 2
  2. s. 87

Questions about Section 46

How do I find court cases under Section 46 of the IT Act 2000?

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: IT Act 2000 46, section 46 IT Act 2000, section 46 of the IT Act 2000. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.

What should I read with Section 46 of the IT Act 2000, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on Indian Penal Code 193 (Punishment for false evidence), Indian Penal Code 228 (Intentional insult or interruption to public servant sitting in judicial proceeding), section 58, so none of them can safely be read on its own. 2 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it.

When was the IT Act 2000 enacted?

IT Act 2000 was enacted in 2000 as Act 21 of 2000. India Code records no commencement date for it. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

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. Read from the Government's own scanned gazette with Azure Document Intelligence, then split into sections by their numbering. India Code publishes no text for this Act. The scan itself is mirrored into our own storage and served at /scan/9fed5ba2-020c-4042-a2ae-bd4e74c12996.pdf, so the reading here can be checked against the page it came from without depending on India Code's own copy staying where it is (it was at https://indiacode.gov.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/f135081a-75c5-4afc-858a-12b1dc439853/content). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.