Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — Section 226

Attempt to Commit Suicide to Compel or Restrain Exercise of Lawful Power

Section 226 punishes whoever attempts to commit suicide with the intent to compel or restrain any public servant from discharging their official duty, with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both, or with community service.

Please note: This page reflects our understanding of the law as of the date it was last reviewed. Parliament, the State Legislatures, and the courts continue to amend and interpret this law, and this page may not yet reflect the most recent change. Please verify the current text of the law independently, and consult a licensed advocate for advice on your own matter, before relying on this page.

Corresponding Provision Under Prior Law

Verified against the National Crime Records Bureau's official BNS–IPC concordance (Sankalan Portal), which marks Section 226 as a New Section with no corresponding IPC provision. The Indian Penal Code, 1860 contains a general attempt-to-suicide provision at old Section 309, but that provision covers attempted suicide generally and contains no reference to compelling or restraining a public servant from discharging official duty. Section 226's specific offence—attempting suicide for that particular purpose—has no equivalent in the old law.

BNS section	IPC, 1860 equivalent	Category
226	No predecessor	No predecessor

Quick Reference

Per the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023: punishable with imprisonment for 1 year, or fine, or both, or community service (the statute itself: simple imprisonment up to one year, or fine, or both, or community service; the First Schedule’s entry does not use the word “simple”) — non-cognizable, bailable, and triable by any Magistrate. Not compoundable: Section 226 appears in neither compounding table of Section 359 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. In the First Schedule, “any Magistrate” does not include Executive Magistrates (Explanatory Note (2)).

Statutory Text (Verbatim)

Whoever attempts to commit suicide with the intent to compel or restrain any public servant from discharging his official duty shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both, or with community service.

Source: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Act No. 45 of 2023), as published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary.

Explanation & Illustration (Lexovia's Commentary — Not Statutory Text)

Attempting suicide with the specific intent to compel or restrain a public servant

Explanation (Lexovia's Commentary)

The offence requires both an attempt to commit suicide and a specific intent behind that attempt: to compel a public servant to act, or to restrain a public servant from acting, in the discharge of their official duty.

Illustration (Lexovia's Own Example)

A person attempts to commit suicide outside a government office with the specific intent of compelling an officer to reverse an official decision. This falls within the section.

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Related / Cross-Referenced Sections

FAQs

Is this the same as the old general attempt-to-suicide offence?

No. The old law's general attempt-to-suicide provision applied irrespective of purpose. Section 226 is a distinct, narrower offence that applies only where the attempt is made with the specific intent to compel or restrain a public servant from discharging official duty, and has no predecessor under the old law.

What is the punishment under this section?

Simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or fine, or both, or community service.

What changed compared to the old law?

This is a newly introduced offence with no corresponding provision under the old law.