Section 251 of BNS : Section 251: Offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender.

Explanation using Example

Example 1:

Ravi, a businessman, discovers that his employee, Suresh, has embezzled a significant amount of money from the company. Instead of reporting Suresh to the police, Ravi offers Suresh a deal: if Suresh returns the stolen money and promises not to repeat the offense, Ravi will not report the crime to the authorities. Suresh agrees and returns the money. In this scenario, Ravi is guilty under Section 251 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 for offering the restoration of property (the stolen money) in consideration of concealing the offense (embezzlement).

Example 2:

Priya witnesses her neighbor, Raj, committing a serious assault that could lead to a lengthy prison sentence. Raj, fearing legal consequences, offers Priya a substantial amount of money to keep quiet and not report the incident to the police. Priya accepts the money and does not report the crime. In this case, Raj is guilty under Section 251 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 for offering gratification (money) to Priya in consideration of her concealing the offense (assault).

Example 3:

Anil, a shop owner, catches his employee, Sunil, stealing goods from the store. Instead of taking legal action, Anil tells Sunil that he will not report the theft if Sunil agrees to work extra hours without pay for the next six months. Sunil agrees to the arrangement. Here, Anil is guilty under Section 251 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 for offering a form of gratification (not reporting the theft) in exchange for Sunil's free labor, which is a form of concealing the offense.

Example 4:

Meena, a government official, is aware that her colleague, Ramesh, has been accepting bribes. To protect Ramesh from legal consequences, Meena offers to give him a portion of her own salary if he agrees to keep quiet about his activities and not report him to their superiors. Ramesh accepts the offer. In this situation, Meena is guilty under Section 251 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 for offering gratification (a portion of her salary) to Ramesh in consideration of screening him from legal punishment for accepting bribes.