Punishments
Section 81 of the Navy Act, 1957 deals with punishments. The following punishments may be inflicted under this Act, namely:-- (a) death; The Act came into force on 01 Jan 1958.
(1) The following punishments may be inflicted under this Act, namely:--
(a) death;
(b) imprisonment which may be for the term of life or any other lesser term;
(c) dismissal with disgrace from the naval service;
(d) detention;
(e) dismissal from the naval service;
(f) forfeiture of seniority in rank in the case of officers 1[and master chief petty officers];
(g) forfeiture of time for promotion in the case of 2[officers below the rank of commander and master chief petty officers];
(h) dismissal from the ship to which the offender belongs;
(i) 3[reduction in rank], in the case of 4[petty officers] and persons holding leading rates;
(j) fine, in respect of civil offences;
(k) mulcts of pay and allowances;
(l) severe reprimand or reprimand;
(m) forfeiture of pay, head money, bounty, salvage, prize money and allowances earned by, and all annuities, pensions, gratuities, medals and decorations granted to, the offender or of any one or more of the above particulars; also in the case of desertion, of all clothes and effects left by the deserter in the ship to which he belongs;
(n) such minor punishments as are inflicted according to the custom of the navy or may from time to time be prescribed.
(2) Each of the punishments specified in sub-section (1) shall be deemed to be inferior in degree to every punishment preceding it in the above scale.
Section 81, The Navy Act, 1957 (Act 62 of 1957).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Referred to by 1
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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Lt. Cdr. Malkiat Singh Khela (Retd.) v. Union of India & Anr.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
SC dismissed appeal of a retired Lieutenant Commander punished by court-martial under Navy Act s.68 with forfeiture of 36 months' seniority and severe reprimand under s.81(1)(f) and (l). Held that for pension qualifying service, forfeiture of seniority under the Act is not a mere rank-label change: reading s.81 with s.82(12) and Navy (Pension) Regulations Appendix III, the forfeited period is excluded from qualifying service, so 20 calendar years became 17 and pension was rightly discontinued/recovered after show-cause. DATE VERIFIED Judgment 22.01.2013 (order-9.pdf).
On this section: s.81 Punishments — court-martial award of forfeiture of seniority (cl. f) and severe reprimand (cl. l) is the statutory punishment whose pension consequences are then worked through s.82(12).
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 81
What have the courts held on Section 81 of the Navy Act?
Lt. Cdr. Malkiat Singh Khela (Retd.) v. Union of India & Anr. (22 Jan 2013) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.81 Punishments — court-martial award of forfeiture of seniority (cl. f) and severe reprimand (cl. l) is the statutory punishment whose pension consequences are then worked through s.82(12).
How do I find court cases under Section 81 of the Navy Act?
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: Navy Act 1957 81, section 81 Navy Act 1957, section 81 of the Navy Act. 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 Lt. Cdr. Malkiat Singh Khela (Retd.) v. Union of India & Anr. (22 Jan 2013).
What should I read with Section 81 of the Navy Act, and has it changed?
1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it.
When did Section 81 of the Navy Act come into force?
Section 81 of the Navy Act, cited as Navy Act 1957 81, came into force on 01 Jan 1958, having been enacted on 27 Dec 1957. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 97. Constitution of courts-martial1231 words
- 31. Liability for maintenance of wife and children1010 words
- 82. Provisions as to award of punishment902 words
- 3. Definitions777 words
- 133. Presumption as to certain documents679 words
- 168. Appointment of the Judge Advocate General of the Navy and his subordinate officers526 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. Text as in force on 19 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.