Offence of booth capturing
Section 135A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 deals with offence of booth capturing. ] Whoever commits an offence of booth capturing shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which [shall not be less than one year but which may extend extend to three years and with fine, and where such offence is committed by a person in the service of the Government, he shall be punishable w The Act came into force on 17 Jul 1951.
1[135A. Offence of booth capturing.--2[(1)] Whoever commits an offence of booth capturing shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which 3[shall not be less than one year but which may extend extend to three years and with fine, and where such offence is committed by a person in the service of the Government, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years but which may extend to five years and with fine.]
Explanation.--For the purposes of 3[this sub-section and section 20B], booth capturing includes, among other things, all or any of the following activities, namely:--
(a) seizure of a polling station or a place fixed for the poll by any person or persons, making polling authorities surrender the ballot papers or voting machines and doing of any other Act which affects the orderly conduct of elections;
(b) taking possession of a polling station or a place fixed for the poll by any person or persons, and allowing only his or their own supporters to exercise their right to vote and 4[prevent others from free exercise of their right to vote];
(c) 5[coercing or intimidating or threatening directly or indirectly], any elector and preventing him him from going to the polling station or a place fixed for the poll to cast his vote;
(d) seizure of a place for counting of votes by any person or persons, making the counting authorities surrender the ballot papers or voting machines and the doing of anything which affects the orderly counting of votes;
(e) doing by any person in the service of Government, of all or any of the aforesaid activities or aiding or conniving at, any such activity in the furtherance of the prospects of the election of a candidate.]
6[(2) An offence punishable under sub-section (1) shall be cognizable.]
Section 135A, The Representation of the People Act, 1951 (Act 43 of 1951).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
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.
-
… The incident was reported by the complainant to the Chief Executive Officer and a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 121, 324(3) of the BNS, 2023 and Section 135A of the Representation of the people Act, 1950, 1951,1989 has been lodged at the Police Station – Vidhansabha, Raipur (C.G.). Hence, this application. - 4. It has been argued by the learned counsel for the applicant that the applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in this case. He further submits that …
Questions about Section 135A
What does Section 135A of the Representation of the People Act deal with?
Section 135A of the Representation of the People Act is headed "Offence of booth capturing". [135A. Offence of booth capturing.--[(1)] Whoever commits an offence of booth capturing shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which [shall not be less than one year but which may extend extend to three years and with fine, and where such offence is committed by a person in the service of
How do I find court cases under Section 135A of the Representation of the People 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: RP Act 1951 135A, section 135A RP Act 1951, section 135A of the Representation of the People Act. 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 135A of the Representation of the People Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 20B (Observers), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 5 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it.
When did Section 135A of the Representation of the People Act come into force?
Section 135A of the Representation of the People Act, cited as RP Act 1951 135A, came into force on 17 Jul 1951, having been enacted on 17 Jul 1951. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 123. Corrupt practices1710 words
- 33. Presentation of nomination paper and requirement for a valid nomination1149 words
- 8. Disqualification on conviction for certain offences898 words
- 75A. Declaration of assets and liabilities659 words
- 39. Nomination of candidates at other elections632 words
- 36. Scrutiny of nominations596 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 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.