THE INDIAN PENAL CODE CHAPTER 20 – OF OFFENCES RELATING TO MARRIAGE

Bare Act, Indian Penal Code
March 28, 2024

THE INDIAN PENAL CODE

ACT NO. 45 OF 1860

CHAPTER XX
OFOFFENCES RELATINGTO MARRIAGE

  1. 493.Cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage.—Every man
    who by deceit causes any woman who is not lawfully married to him to believe that she is lawfully
    married to him and to cohabit or have sexual intercourse with him in that belief, shall be punished with
    imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to
    fine.
  2. 494.Marrying again during lifetime of husband or wife.—Whoever, having a husband or wife
    living, marries in any case in which such marriage is void by reason of its taking place during the life of
    such husband or wife, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may
    extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
    Exception.—This section does not extend to any person whose marriage with such husband or wife
    has been declared void by a Court of competent jurisdiction,
    nor to any person who contracts a marriage during the life of a former husband or wife, if such
    husband or wife, at the time of the subsequent marriage, shall have been continually absent from such
    person for the space of seven years, and shall not have been heard of by such person as being alive within
    that time provided the person contracting such subsequent marriage shall, before such marriage takes
    place, inform the person with whom such marriage is contracted of the real state of facts so far as the
    same are within his or her knowledge.
  3. 495.Same offence with concealment of former marriage from person with whom subsequent
    marriage is contracted
    .—Whoever commits the offence defined in the last preceding section having
    concealed from the person with whom the subsequent marriage is contracted, the fact of the former
    marriage, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten
    years, and shall also be liable to fine.
  4. 496.Marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage.—Whoever,
    dishonestly or with a fraudulent intention, goes through the ceremony of being married, knowing that he
    is not thereby lawfully married, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term
    which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
  5. 497.Adultery.—Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has
    reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such
    sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery, and shall be
    punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine,
    or with both. In such case the wife shall not be punishable as an abettor.
  6. 498.Enticing or taking away or detaining with criminal intent a married woman.—Whoever
    takes or entices away any woman who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of
    any other man, from that man, or from any person having the care of her on behalf of that man, with
    intent that she may have illicit intercourse with any person, or conceals or detains with that intent any
    such woman, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to
    two years, or with fine, or with both.