Whoever threatens another by any means, with any injury to his person, reputation or property, or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause alarm to that person, or to cause that person to do any act which he is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do any act which that person is legally entitled to do, as the means of avoiding the execution of such threat, commits criminal intimidation.
Explanation: A threat to injure the reputation of any deceased person in whom the person threatened is interested, is within this section.
Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation by threatening to cause death or grievous hurt, or to cause the destruction of any property by fire, or to cause an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or to impute unchastity to a woman, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.
Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication, or having taken precaution to conceal the name or abode of the person from whom the threat comes, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, in addition to the punishment provided for the offence under sub-section (1).
In simpler terms, a person is said to commit the offence of Criminal Intimidation when he threatens someone to injure their person, reputation (or of someone they care about) or property, to make him do any illegal act.
Essential Ingredients:
- Intent: There must be an intention to cause alarm or make the victim commit any illegal act against his will.
- Threats: Offender must have threatened the victim to injure his person, property or reputation.
Punishment:
- Criminal Intimidation: Imprisonment up to 2 years/ Fine/ Both
- Criminal Intimidation by threatening to cause death/ grievous hurt, or to cause the destruction of any property by fire, or to cause an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or to impute unchastity to a woman: Imprisonment up to 7 years/ Fine/ Both
- Criminal intimidation by anonymous communication, or by taking precaution to conceal the name or abode of the person: Imprisonment up to 2 years/ Fine/ Both in addition to punishment in (1).