297. (1) Whoever keeps any office or place for the purpose of drawing any lottery not being a State lottery or a lottery authorised by the State Government, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both. (2) Whoever publishes any proposal to pay any sum, or to deliver any goods, or to do or forbear from doing anything for the benefit of any person, on any event or contingency relative or applicable to the drawing of any ticket, lot, number or figure in any such lottery, shall be punished with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees.
IPC Section 294A in BNS: Section 297
Keeping lottery office
Section 294A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Keeping lottery office) corresponds to Section 297 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in force from 1 July 2024. Under the BNSS First Schedule, BNS 297(1) is non-cognizable, bailable, triable by Any Magistrate; punishment: Imprisonment for 6 months, or fine, or both.
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Bail, cognizability and punishment
| Section | Offence | Punishment | Cognizable | Bailable | Triable by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 297(1) | Keeping a lottery office. | Imprisonment for 6 months, or fine, or both. | Non-cognizable | Bailable | Any Magistrate |
| 297(2) | Publishing proposals relating to lotteries. | Fine of 5,000 rupees. | Non-cognizable | Bailable | Any Magistrate |
Source: BNSS, 2023, First Schedule, Part I.
The BNS applies to offences committed on or after 1 July 2024. Offences committed earlier are charged and tried under the IPC.
Text of BNS Section 297
Full BNS Section 297 and every IPC section it replaced →
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