BNS Section 211: Omission to Give Notice or Information to a Public Servant (IPC 176 Mapping) (2026)
What Section 211 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) covers, how a person legally bound to give notice or information to a public servant commits an offence by not giving it, how it maps to the old IPC Section 176, the punishment and the classification. Last verified October 2026.
Explainer · Criminal Law · BNS
Section 211 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) punishes a person who is legally bound to give a notice or information to a public servant and intentionally fails to give it. The BNS has been in force since 1 July 2024 and replaces the Indian Penal Code (IPC). If you still look up "IPC 176", Section 211 is the provision you now need. This explainer sets out what Section 211 covers, how it maps to the old law, the punishment and the classification. Last verified October 2026.
- New section: omission to give notice or information to a public servant is Section 211 of the BNS, in force since 1 July 2024.
- Old section: it replaced Section 176 of the IPC.
- Punishment: up to one month or fine up to Rs 5,000 in general; up to six months or fine up to Rs 10,000 where the information was about an offence.
- Classification: non-cognizable and bailable, carried over from the old law.
01Why the section number matters now
Failing to give a notice or information that you are legally bound to give to a public servant was punished under Section 176 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Since 1 July 2024 the IPC is replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), and this offence now sits in Section 211.
This matters in practice. A complaint for an offence committed on or after 1 July 2024 cites Section 211, not Section 176. Older matters keep their IPC number, because the law that applies is the law on the date of the offence. For some years both numbers will appear in live files.
02What Section 211 covers
Section 211 punishes a person who is legally bound to give any notice, or to furnish information on any subject, to a public servant, and who intentionally omits to give that notice or information in the manner and at the time required by law.
The duty to inform must come from the law. Section 211 does not punish silence in general. It punishes the failure to give a notice or information that a law or rule requires a person to give to a public servant, such as a report of a birth or death, or a report an occupier is bound to make.
A companion offence on documents
Section 211 is about failing to give a notice or information. Its companion, failing to produce a document or electronic record you are legally bound to produce, is dealt with under Section 210 of the BNS.
03The three levels of punishment
Section 211 sets three levels of punishment, depending on the subject of the notice or information.
- General case: simple imprisonment up to one month, or a fine up to five thousand rupees, or both.
- Information about an offence: where the notice or information concerns the commission of an offence, or is required to prevent an offence or to catch an offender, simple imprisonment up to six months, or a fine up to ten thousand rupees, or both.
- Information required by a court order: where the notice or information is required by an order under Section 447 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), imprisonment of either description up to six months, or a fine up to one thousand rupees, or both.
The penalty is heavier when the missing information was about an offence or was needed to catch an offender.
04Old to new: IPC 176 to BNS 211
Section 176 of the IPC is now Section 211 of the BNS. The offence and its three levels are carried over, with the fines raised and the cross-reference updated to the new procedure code.
| Point | Old law (IPC) | New law (BNS) |
|---|---|---|
| Omission to give notice or information | Section 176 | Section 211 |
| Fine (general case) | Up to Rs 500 | Up to Rs 5,000 |
| Fine (information about an offence) | Up to Rs 1,000 | Up to Rs 10,000 |
The heading of this page refers to refusing to answer a public servant authorised to question, but the provision that carries this number in the BNS is about failing to give a notice or information. Refusing to answer a public servant authorised to question is a different section of the BNS.
05Classification
On classification, the offence under Section 211 is treated as non-cognizable and bailable, carried over from the old IPC Section 176, and is tried by a Magistrate.
- Non-cognizable: the police generally need an order of a Magistrate to investigate.
- Bailable: bail is a matter of right.
- Triable: by a Magistrate.
06What changed from the old law
The structure of three levels of punishment is carried over from IPC Section 176. The real changes are the higher fines, rising from five hundred to five thousand rupees in the general case and from one thousand to ten thousand where the information was about an offence, and the updated cross-reference to Section 447 of the BNSS instead of the old Code of Criminal Procedure.
Because the core offence is unchanged, the older case law on Section 176 still guides how Section 211 of the BNS is read. The closely linked duty to produce documents is in Section 210 of the BNS.
07Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
Matters under Section 211 tend to arise in regulatory and police work, and the three sentencing levels mean the subject of the missing notice decides the stakes. Claw lets you comb 30 crore and more judgments, from Supreme Court authority of 1950 onward to High Court authority from 1990, to see how the old Section 176 has been read. It also keeps track of the cases, orders and listed hearings of a live matter across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, and answers in under 5 seconds.
Confidentiality is kept: Claw does not use customer case documents to train its AI models. Open a free Claw account to work through this case law and to follow a live matter by party or advocate name. To search wider across Indian law, see case search across Indian courts.
08Sources and further reading
- India Code (official text of the BNS, 2023): indiacode.nic.in
- PRS Legislative Research (BNS overview and IPC comparison): prsindia.org
- Section 211, BNS (bare text): devgan.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This explainer is general information, not legal advice. The law changes through amendments and judgments, so check the current text and take advice from counsel before you act.
09Frequently asked questions
What is IPC 176 in the BNS?
Omission to give notice or information to a public servant, earlier Section 176 of the IPC, is now Section 211 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. It applies to offences committed on or after 1 July 2024.
What is the punishment under BNS Section 211?
In a general case, simple imprisonment up to one month, or a fine up to five thousand rupees, or both. Where the information concerns an offence or catching an offender, up to six months, or a fine up to ten thousand rupees, or both. Where it is required by an order under Section 447 of the BNSS, up to six months, or a fine up to one thousand rupees, or both.
Is an offence under BNS 211 bailable?
Yes. The offence is treated as non-cognizable and bailable, carried over from the old IPC Section 176, and is tried by a Magistrate.
Does Section 211 cover refusing to answer questions?
No. Section 211 deals with failing to give a notice or information you are legally bound to give. Refusing to answer a public servant who is authorised to question you is a separate offence in the BNS. Always read the bare text of the section cited in a complaint.
Does old case law on Section 176 still apply?
In large part, yes. Because the core offence is carried over, judgments on IPC Section 176 still guide how Section 211 of the BNS is read, subject to the higher fines and the updated cross-reference to the BNSS.
Can I track a case under Section 211 in Claw?
Yes. Claw can follow a matter by party or advocate name across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, keeping its cases, orders and listed hearings up to date and answering in under 5 seconds, and it opens 30 crore and more judgments for research. It tracks and researches the case but does not give legal advice.