๐ Q.10 IAS Prelims 2023 โ Polity & Governance: Offences under Indian Laws
๐งท Authentic Classroom Explanation by IAS Monk
๐ The Question:
With reference to India, consider the following pairs:
| Action | The Act under which it is covered |
|---|---|
| 1. Unauthorized wearing of police or military uniforms | The Official Secrets Act, 1923 |
| 2. Knowingly misleading or otherwise interfering with a police officer or military officer when engaged in their duties | The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 |
| 3. Celebratory gunfire which can endanger the personal safety of others | The Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019 |
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
โ Correct Answer: (b)
๐ Curiosity Raiser (UPSC angle)
UPSC is testing exact statutory mapping, not general legal intuition.
The trap lies in assuming that any police-related offence belongs to familiar criminal or evidence laws.
๐ง Core Concept Tested
Correct identification of offences with their governing statutes
๐ Classroom Explanation (UPSC Prelims Focused)
Pair 1 โ
- Section 6 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 penalises unauthorized use of police or military uniforms.
๐ Pair 1 is correctly matched.
Pair 2 โ
- Interfering with or misleading police or military personnel on duty near prohibited places is covered under Section 7 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, not the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
๐ Pair 2 is incorrectly matched.
Pair 3 โ
- The Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019 specifically penalises celebratory gunfire that endangers human life or personal safety.
๐ Pair 3 is correctly matched.
โ Why the final answer is (b)
- Pairs 1 and 3 are correctly matched.
- Pair 2 is incorrectly matched.
- Hence, Only two pairs are correct.
๐ Enrich Notes (Prelims Value Add)
- Official Secrets Act, 1923 โ Covers misuse of uniforms and interference near prohibited places
- Indian Evidence Act, 1872 โ Deals with admissibility and evaluation of evidence, not offences
- Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019 โ Introduced explicit punishment for celebratory gunfire
๐ Prelims Recall Line
Uniform misuse and obstruction near sensitive sites fall under secrecy laws, not evidence law.
๐งโโ๏ธ IAS Monk Whisper
In law, the smallest mismatch of statute and offence
can overturn the entire answer.