IPC Section 212 - Harbouring offender

212. Harbouring offender. Whenever an offence has been committed, whoever harbours or

conceals a person whom he knows or has reason to be lieve to be the offender, with the intention of

screening him from legal punishment,

if a capital offence .--shall, if the offence is punishable with death, be punished with imprisonment

of either description for a term which may extend to five years, and shall also be liable to fine;

if punishable with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment.--and if the offence is punishable

with 1[imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment which may extend to ten years, shall be punished

with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, an d shall also be

liable to fine;

and if the offence is punishable with imprisonment which may extend to one year, and not to ten

years, shall be punished with imprisonment of the description provided for the offence for a term which

may extend to one-fourth part of the longest term of imprisonment provided for the offence, or with fine,

or with both.

1["Offence" in this section includes any act co mmitted at any place out of 2[India], which, if

committed in 3[India], would be punishable under any of the following sections, namely, 302, 304, 382,

392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 399, 402, 435, 436, 449, 450, 457, 458, 459 and 460; and every such

act shall, for the purposes of th is section, be deemed to be punishable as if the accused person had been

guilty of it in 3[India].]

Exception.--This provision shall not extend to any case in which the harbour or concealment is by the

husband or wife of the offender.

Illustration

A, knowing that B has committed dacoity, knowingly conceals B in order to screen him from legal punish ment. Here, as B

is liable to 3[imprisonment for life], A is liable to imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding three yea rs, and is

also liable to fine.