BACK TO SECTIONS1992 Cri LJ 1304
IPC 1860REPEALED
Section 225
Resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension of another person
Replaced by: BNS 263
Bailable / Non-Bailable (scaled)Cognizable: CognizableMagistrate / Court of Session
THE STATUTE
Original Text
Whoever intentionally offers any resistance or illegal obstruction to the lawful apprehension of any other person for an offence, or rescues or attempts to rescue any other person from any custody in which that person is lawfully detained...
Simplified
Section 225 applies when someone tries to prevent the arrest of another person or helps them escape from custody. The punishment scales dramatically with the gravity of the underlying offence: rescuing someone accused of a capital offence (death/life imprisonment) attracts up to life imprisonment for the rescuer; rescuing someone accused of a non-life offence attracts up to 7 years; rescuing someone accused of a minor offence attracts up to 2 years. This scaling reflects that the moral gravity of obstruction is proportionate to the harm the original offender could cause if freed. Applications: mobs that surround police vehicles to free arrested persons, organized criminal rescue operations, and political crowds that physically prevent police from making arrests.
Landmark Precedents
Piari Bai v. State of UP (1992)
RELEVANCE
Mob that freed an arrested accused from police custody held guilty under Section 225 — collective action to obstruct police custody is aggravated obstruction of justice.
Practical Scenarios
"A mob attacking a police van to free a local leader who has been arrested — Section 225."
"Friends who physically block police from entering a house to make an arrest — Section 225."
Common Queries
Rescue means forcibly taking a person out of police custody or jail to set them free. Both physical force and obstruction that enables escape qualify.