Can a public servant be charged under 409?

Asked by: Amy Glover  |  Last update: February 20, 2026
Score: 4.8/5 (35 votes)

Yes, a public servant can absolutely be charged under Section 409 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for criminal breach of trust when entrusted with property in their official capacity and then dishonestly misusing it, with punishments including life imprisonment or up to ten years in prison, plus fines. This specific section targets individuals like public officials, bankers, and agents who abuse their significant power or control over entrusted assets for personal gain, requiring proof of entrustment and misappropriation.

Who can be charged under IPC 409?

Whoever, being in any manner entrusted with property, or with any dominion over property in his capacity of a public servant or in the way of his business as a banker, merchant, factor, broker, attorney or agent, commits criminal breach of trust in respect of that property, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, ...

What is the offence of public servant?

Whoever, being a public servant, knowingly disobeys any direction of the law as to the way in which he is to conduct himself as such public servant, intending to cause, or knowing it to be likely that he will, by such disobedience, cause injury to any person, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which ...

What evidence is needed for IPC 409?

Section 409 IPC mandates that the accused party must possess the intention to commit a criminal breach of trust. This necessitates a dishonest purpose or knowledge that their actions would lead to a violation of trust. Proving this element is crucial in establishing guilt under this section.

What are the ingredients necessary to prove charges under 409?

To constitute an offence punishable under Section 409 IPC, apart from entrustment, it is also essential requirement that it should be shown that the accused has acted in the capacity of a public servant, banker, merchant, factor, broker, attorney or agent.

Co-Accuse entitled to Bail on Rule of Consistency | Accused Bail if Complainant changed his Version|

21 related questions found

Can IPC 409 charges be dropped?

Luckily, there are several legal defenses in California law that you can raise if accused of a crime under Penal Code 409. These include showing that: the assembly was not “unlawful,” you were falsely accused, and/or.

How much evidence is needed for a charge?

To charge someone, police need probable cause (a reasonable belief a crime occurred and the person did it), a lower standard than for conviction, which requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt (near certainty of guilt). Charges can start with just a witness statement or officer observation, but for conviction, prosecutors need strong evidence like testimony, forensics, or consistent circumstantial evidence to prove guilt, not just suspicion, to a judge or jury. 

What are the key elements of IPC 409?

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF IPC 409​

  • The accused must hold a position of trust like a public servant, merchant, agent, banker, and attorney.
  • The accused must have been entrusted with property or control over it.
  • The person must have committed a breach of trust like dishonestly converting the property to their use.

What is the 409 evidence rule?

Rule 409. Payment of expenses. Evidence of payment of expenses occasioned by an injury or occurrence is not admissible to prove liability.

Why are prior bad acts not admissible?

Brief Synopsis: The admission of prior “bad act” evidence can be an explosive area causing defendant undue prejudice and unfair bias, so our courts have created strict rules for what purpose such prior bad act evidence can be introduced.

What qualifies as a public servant?

A public servant is a governmental officer, employee, or agent, a juror or a grand juror, an arbitrator or a referee, an attorney or a notary public, a political party official or a political candidate, or anyone who is performing a governmental function.

Is sanction required to prosecute public servants?

The Supreme Court held that a Magistrate cannot take cognisance of a case against a public servant without obtaining prior sanction from the competent authority, under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Cr. PC.).

What is the public servant doctrine?

The public duty doctrine is a rule which provides that in order for an injured person to recover in tort against a public entity or an officer or employee thereof, he must show the breach of a duty owed to him as an individual and not merely the breach of a duty owed to the public as a whole.

What are some famous 409 IPC cases?

Important case laws on Section 409 of IPC

  • Introduction.
  • Sardar Singh v. State of Haryana (1976) Facts. ...
  • L. Chandraiah v. State of AP (2003) ...
  • N. Bhargavan Pillai v. ...
  • Sushil Kumar Singhal v. Regional Manager, Punjab National Bank (2010) ...
  • Sunil Dahiya v. State (NCT of Delhi) (2016) ...
  • Lalita Saini v. State (2019) ...
  • N. Raghavender v.

Is 409 bailable or non bailable?

Is IPC Section 409 bailable? No. It is a non bailable offence of a very serious nature. What is Indian Penal Code 405, 406 & 409?

What is the difference between 409 and 420 IPC?

Section 409 IPC pertains to criminal breach of trust by a public servant or banker, involving entrustment of property and dishonest misappropriation or conversion. Section 420 IPC addresses cheating by dishonest inducement of delivery of property or making false promises, with the intent to deceive.

What are some examples of section 409 offenses?

Every person remaining present at the place of any riot, rout, or unlawful assembly, after the same has been lawfully warned to disperse, except public officers and persons assisting them in attempting to disperse the same, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

What is the dead man's rule in Texas?

Dead Man's Statute, also known as “Dead Man's Rule” or “Dead Man Act,” is a rule of evidence that prohibits an interested party from testifying about conversations or transactions with a deceased person in a civil case.

What evidence needs to be authenticated?

The general rule is that written documents offered into evidence must be authenticated. Authentication requires proving that the evidence is what the proponent purports it to be.

What is the penalty for Section 409?

Punishment—Imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for 10 years and fine—Cognizable—Non-bailable—Triable by Magistrate of the first class—Non-compoundable.

What is Section 409 of the BNSS?

Section 409 of BNSS : Section 409: Power of High Court to confirm sentence or annul conviction. Section 409: Power of High Court to confirm sentence or annul conviction.

What are the essential ingredients of cheating under IPC?

Essential ingredients of Cheating under Section 420 of IPC: 1) deception of any person, either by making a false or misleading representation or by other action or by omission; 2) fraudulently or dishonestly inducing any person to deliver any property, or 3) the consent that any persons shall retain any property and ...

What is the hardest charge to prove?

White collar crimes like fraud and embezzlement might be more difficult to defend than others. This is because these crimes are generally investigated in great detail, which means there will be a lot of evidence to sort through. Because the evidence is purely financial, it is often difficult for jurors to comprehend.

What happens if there isn't enough evidence to charge you?

California law allows prosecutors to file charges and take cases to trial based on circumstantial evidence alone, as long as the totality of the facts supports probable cause.

What are the 4 types of evidence?

The four main types of evidence, especially in legal and academic contexts, are Testimonial (spoken/written statements), Documentary (written records), Physical/Real (tangible items), and Demonstrative (visual aids like charts/diagrams). Other categorizations exist, like evidence for arguments (anecdotal, descriptive, correlational, causal) or textual evidence (quoting, paraphrasing).