Duty of giving information as to commission of offences
Section 8 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 deals with duty of giving information as to commission of offences. It shall be the duty of every person to give on demand to a Superintendent of Police, or other police officer not below the rank of Inspector, empowered by an Inspector-General or Commissioner of Police in this behalf, or to any member of [the Armed Forces of the Union] engaged on guard, sentry, pat The Act came into force on 02 Apr 1923.
(1) It shall be the duty of every person to give on demand to a Superintendent of Police, or other police officer not below the rank of Inspector, empowered by an Inspector-General or Commissioner of Police in this behalf, or to any member of 1 [the Armed Forces of the Union] engaged on guard, sentry, patrol or other similar duty, any information in his power relating to an offence or suspected offence under section 3 or under section 3 read with section 9 and, if so required, and upon tender of his reasonable expenses, to attend at such reasonable time and place as may be specified for the purpose of furnishing such information.
(2) If any person fails to give any such information or to attend as aforesaid, he shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to 2 [three years], or with fine, or with both.
Section 8, The Official Secrets Act, 1923 (Act 19 of 1923).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
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Questions about Section 8
What does Section 8 of the Official Secrets Act deal with?
Section 8 of the Official Secrets Act is headed "Duty of giving information as to commission of offences". It shall be the duty of every person to give on demand to a Superintendent of Police, or other police officer not below the rank of Inspector, empowered by an Inspector-General or Commissioner of Police in this behalf, or to any member of [the Armed Forces of the Union] engaged on guard, sentry, pat
How do I find court cases under Section 8 of the Official Secrets 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: Official Secrets Act 1923 8, section 8 Official Secrets Act 1923, section 8 of the Official Secrets Act. People searching for it also type official secrets act section 2 8. 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 8 of the Official Secrets Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 3 (Penalties for spying), section 9 (Attempts, incitements, etc), so none of them can safely be read on its own.
When did Section 8 of the Official Secrets Act come into force?
Section 8 of the Official Secrets Act, cited as Official Secrets Act 1923 8, came into force on 02 Apr 1923, having been enacted on 02 Apr 1923. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 6. Unauthorised use of uniforms; falsification of reports, forgery, personation, and falsedocuments694 words
- 2. Definitions683 words
- 5. Wrongful communication, etc., of information517 words
- 3. Penalties for spying432 words
- 4. Communications with foreign agents to be evidence of commission of certain offences359 words
- 11. Search-warrants278 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 21 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.