(1) 1 [(a) any census-officer or any person lawfully required to give assistance towards the taking of census who refuses to perform any duty imposed upon him by this Act or any rule made there under, or any person who hinders or obstructs another person in performing any such duty, or
(aa) any census-officer or any person lawfully required to give assistance towards the taking of a census who neglects to use reasonable diligence in performing any duty imposed upon him or in obeying any order issued to him in accordance with this Act or any rule made there under, or any person who hinders or obstructs another person in performing any such duty or obeying any such order, or]
(b) any census-officer who intentionally puts any offensive or improper question or knowingly makes any false return or, without the previous sanction of the Central Government or the State Government, discloses any information which he has received by means of, or for the purposes of, a census return, or
(c) any sorter, compiler or other member of the census staff who removes, secrets, damages or destroys any census document or deals with any census document in a manner likely to falsify or impair the tabulations of census results, or
2 [(ca) any local authority which fails to comply with an order made under section 4A, or]
(d) any person who intentionally gives a false answer to, or refuses to answer to the best of his knowledge or belief, any question asked of him by a census-officer which he is legally bound by section 8 to answer, or
(e) any person occupying any house, enclosure, vessel or other place who refuses to allow a census-officer such reasonable access thereto as he is required by section 9 to allow, or
(f) any person who removes, obliterates, alters, or damages any letters, marks or numbers which have been painted or affixed for the purposes of the census, or
(g) any person who, having been required under section 10 to fill up a schedule, knowingly and without sufficient cause to comply with the provisions of that section, or makes any false return there under, or
(h) any person who trespasses into a census office. shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees and in case of a conviction under part 3 [(a), (b) or (c) shall also be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three years.]
(2) Whoever abets any offence under sub-section (1) shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.
(aa) any census-officer or any person lawfully required to give assistance towards the taking of a census who neglects to use reasonable diligence in performing any duty imposed upon him or in obeying any order issued to him in accordance with this Act or any rule made there under, or any person who hinders or obstructs another person in performing any such duty or obeying any such order, or]
(b) any census-officer who intentionally puts any offensive or improper question or knowingly makes any false return or, without the previous sanction of the Central Government or the State Government, discloses any information which he has received by means of, or for the purposes of, a census return, or
(c) any sorter, compiler or other member of the census staff who removes, secrets, damages or destroys any census document or deals with any census document in a manner likely to falsify or impair the tabulations of census results, or
2 [(ca) any local authority which fails to comply with an order made under section 4A, or]
(d) any person who intentionally gives a false answer to, or refuses to answer to the best of his knowledge or belief, any question asked of him by a census-officer which he is legally bound by section 8 to answer, or
(e) any person occupying any house, enclosure, vessel or other place who refuses to allow a census-officer such reasonable access thereto as he is required by section 9 to allow, or
(f) any person who removes, obliterates, alters, or damages any letters, marks or numbers which have been painted or affixed for the purposes of the census, or
(g) any person who, having been required under section 10 to fill up a schedule, knowingly and without sufficient cause to comply with the provisions of that section, or makes any false return there under, or
(h) any person who trespasses into a census office. shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees and in case of a conviction under part 3 [(a), (b) or (c) shall also be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three years.]
(2) Whoever abets any offence under sub-section (1) shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.
Source footnotes
1 Subs. by s. 8, ibid., for Part (a).2 Ins. by s. 8, ibid.
3 Subs. by s. 8, ibid., for certain brackets, letters and words.
4. The words "except the State of Jammu and Kashmir" omitted by Act 22 of 1959, s. 2 (w.e.f 19-5-1959)
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More sections of this act
Section 1 · Short title and extent.Section 2 · Definitions.Section 2A · Rule of construction respecting enactments not extending to Jammu and Kashmir.Section 3 · Central Government to take census.Section 4 · Appointment of census staff.Section 4A · Staff of every local authority to be made available for taking census.Section 5 · Status of census authorities as public servants.Section 6 · Discharge of duties of census-officers in certain cases.India Code, Government of India. Text fetched 18 Oct 2026. Source metadata reports last modification: 2018-03-21. Check the linked official text and subsequent notifications when applying a provision.