IPC Section 151
🔹 Bare Text of IPC Section 151:
"Whoever knowingly joins or continues in any assembly of five or more persons likely to cause a disturbance of the public peace, after such assembly has been lawfully commanded to disperse, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both."
🔍 Key Elements of Section 151:
Assembly of Five or More Persons:
The law applies when five or more people have gathered.
The assembly must be likely to cause a disturbance of public peace (not necessarily already doing so).
Lawful Command to Disperse:
A competent authority (usually police or magistrate) must have commanded the group to disperse using legal authority.
This could be under Section 129 of CrPC (which allows police to disperse unlawful assemblies).
Knowledge and Intention:
The person must knowingly (i.e., with full awareness) join or continue to remain in the assembly after the dispersal order has been given.
This means if someone unknowingly joins the group or wasn’t aware of the order, the section may not apply.
Punishment:
Imprisonment of up to 2 years, or
Fine, or
Both.
📘 Nature of the Offense:
Cognizable: Police can arrest without a warrant.
Bailable: The accused has the right to be released on bail.
Triable by: Any Magistrate.
✅ Example Situation:
Imagine a group of 20 protestors gather at a public place without prior permission, and the protest becomes tense. A police officer orders the crowd to disperse under the law, but 6 people ignore the warning and continue protesting. These 6 can be charged under Section 151 IPC, provided they knowingly defied the dispersal order.
⚖️ Purpose of the Law:
To maintain public order and prevent escalation of unrest.
To give legal backing to authorities to control unlawful assemblies.
To penalize defiance of lawful commands given in the interest of peace.
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