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[Section Index]

The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947

( ACT NO. II OF 1947 )

Criminal misconduct
5. (1) A public servant is said to commit the offence of criminal misconduct-
 
 
 
 
(a) if he accepts or obtains or agrees to accept or attempts to obtain from any person for himself or for any other person, any gratification (other than legal remuneration) as a motive or reward such as is mentioned in section 161 of the Penal Code, or
 
 
(b) if he accepts or obtains or agrees to accept or attempts to obtain for himself or for any other person any valuable thing without consideration or for a consideration which he knows to be inadequate, from any person whom he knows to have been, or to be, or to be likely to be concerned in any proceeding or business transacted or about to be transacted by him, or having any connection with the official functions of himself or of any public servant to whom he is subordinate, or from any person whom he knows to be interested in or related to the person so concerned, or
 
 
 
 
(c) if he dishonestly or fraudulently misappropriates or otherwise converts for his own use any property entrusted to him or under his control as a public servant or allows any other person so to do, or
 
 
 
 
(d) if he, by corrupt or illegal means or by otherwise abusing his position as public servant, obtains or attempts to obtain for himself or for any other person any valuable thing or pecuniary advantage, or
 
 
 
 
(e) if he, or any of his dependents, is in possession, for which the public servant cannot reasonably account, of pecuniary resources or of property disproportionate to his known sources of income.
 
 
 
 
Explanation.- In this clause “dependent” in relation to a public servant, means his wife, children and step-children, parents, sisters and minor brothers residing with and wholly dependent on him.
 
 
 
 
(2) Any public servant who commits or attempts to commit criminal misconduct shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or 1[with both, and the pecuniary resources or property to which the criminal misconduct relates may also be confiscated to the State].
 
 
 
 
(3) In any trial of an offence punishable under sub-section (2) the fact that the accused person or any other person on his behalf is in possession, for which the accused person cannot satisfactorily account, of pecuniary resources or property disproportionate to his known sources of income may be proved, and on such proof the Court shall presume, unless the contrary is proved, that the accused person is guilty of criminal misconduct and his conviction therefore shall not be invalid by reason only that it is based solely on such presumption.
 
 
 
 
(4) The provisions of this section shall be in addition to, and not in derogation of, any other law for the time being in force, and nothing contained herein shall exempt any public servant from any proceeding which might, apart from this section, be instituted against him.

  • 1
    The words “with both, and the pecuniary resources or property to which the criminal misconduct relates may also be confiscated to the State” were substituted for the words “with both” by section 2 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 1992 (Act No. VIII of 1992)
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