Statute explainer · Section 351 BNS

Criminal Intimidation Under Section 351 BNS — Threats, Punishment, Complaints and Defence

Last updated: 2 October 2026 · Reflects the BNS/BNSS, 2023 · By Advocate Manish Sharma · General legal information, not legal advice

In short: Criminal intimidation under Section 351 BNS (formerly Section 506 IPC) is threatening injury to a person, their reputation or property, or to someone they care about, to cause alarm or force an act. It carries up to two years, up to seven years for threats of death or grievous hurt, and two more for anonymous threats. Advocate Manish Sharma handles these cases in Faridabad.

This explainer sets out what a threat must contain, the punishment tiers, how to complain in Faridabad when the police only record a report, and the defences most often raised.

What must a threat contain to be an offence?

Criminal intimidation is a threat to cause injury to a person's body, reputation or property, or to anyone in whom they are interested, made with intent to cause alarm or to make them do or omit an act they are not legally bound to. A threat in this sense is a communication of intent to cause harm; vague abuse or anger without a threat of injury, or a threat to take lawful legal action, does not qualify.

What are the punishments?

Threat	Provision	Maximum sentence
Any criminal intimidation	Section 351(2)	2 years, or fine, or both
Threat to cause death or grievous hurt, destroy property by fire, or impute unchastity	Section 351(3)	7 years, or fine, or both
Threat by anonymous communication or concealing identity	Section 351(4)	Additional 2 years

How do you complain in Faridabad?

Preserve the evidence: call recordings, messages, voice notes and witnesses' names.
Give a written complaint at the police station. Where the police treat the matter as non-cognizable, they record it under Section 174 BNSS and refer you to the Magistrate.
Apply to the Magistrate for an order to investigate, or file a complaint case under Section 223 BNSS.
Where the threats are serious and continuing, seek protection from the police and, if needed, the High Court.

What defences are raised?

No threat of injury, only words of anger or abuse.
No intent to cause alarm, shown by the context and the parties' conduct.
A counter-blast complaint filed after a dispute, especially in property and matrimonial matters.
The threat was to take lawful action, such as filing a case or recovering dues lawfully.

See the criminal lawyer page for the course of a case.

How to choose an advocate for this matter in Faridabad

Enrolment: ask for the enrolment number and State Bar Council. Under Section 30 of the Advocates Act, 1961 an enrolled advocate may appear in any court in India.
Forum presence: check appearances before the court concerned on the eCourts portal.
Candour: a reliable advocate tells you the weak points of the file, not a promised result.
Written terms, stage by stage; costs are explained in the lawyer fees guide.

Rule 36 of the Bar Council of India Rules forbids any advocate from claiming to be the "best", "top" or "No. 1" in Faridabad. Those words in a search are best answered by the tests above.

Frequently asked questions

What is the punishment for a death threat under BNS?

Up to seven years, or fine, or both, under Section 351(3) BNS, with up to two more years if made anonymously under Section 351(4).

Is Section 351 BNS the same as Section 506 IPC?

Yes. Section 351 BNS replaced Sections 503 and 506 IPC (and the anonymous-threat provision in Section 507) from 1 July 2024.

Is shouting or abusing someone criminal intimidation?

Not by itself. There must be a threat of injury to the person, their reputation or property, made to cause alarm or compel an act.

What if the police do not register my threat complaint?

Apply to the Magistrate for a direction to investigate, or file a complaint case under Section 223 BNSS with your evidence.