Last Change:

05/09/2025

The Penal Code

Year: 1860

Type: Domestic law

Rights Category: Liberty & security of person

Description

The Penal Code of 1860 provides definitions for a number of criminal offences and their respective penalties. This Code applies to the whole of Bangladesh without reference to citizenship, and extraterritoriality. Therefore, asylum seekers and refugees in Bangladesh charged with criminal offences are covered by this Code.
 

Selected provisions
Section 377: Unnatural offences

Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with 123[imprisonment] for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.Explanation. Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section.

Section 463: Forgery

Whoever makes any false document or part of a document, with intent to cause damage or injury, to the public or to any person, or to support any claim or title, or to cause any person to part with property, or to enter into any express or implied contract, or with intend to commit fraud or that fraud may be committed, commits forgery.

Section 499: Defamation

Whoever by words either spoken or intended to be read, or by signs or by visible representations, makes or published any imputation concerning any person intending to harm, or knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm, the reputation or such person, is said, except in the cases hereinafter excepted, to defame that person.

Section 503: Criminal intimidation

Whoever threatens another with any injury to his person, reputation or property, or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause to alarm to that person, or to cause that person to do any act which he is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do any act which that person is legally entitled to do, as the means of avoiding the execution of such threat, commits criminal intimidation.

Explanation.-A threat to injure the reputation of any deceased person in whom the person threatened is interested, is within this section.

Illustration

A, for the purpose of inducing B to desist from prosecuting a civil suit, threatens to burn B's house. A is guilty of criminal intimidation.

Section 504: Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace

Whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break the public peace, or to commit any other offence, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

Section 505A: Prejudicial act by words, etc.

Whoever-
(a) by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representation or otherwise does anything, or
(b) makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report, which is, or which is likely to be prejudicial to the interests of the security of Bangladesh or public order, or to the maintenance of friendly relations of Bangladesh with foreign states or to the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.

Section 509: Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman

Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.