PPC § 500 — Punishment for defamation

Statutory text (English)

Whoever defames another shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both:
[Provided that the originator of the defamatory imputation shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine which shall not be less than one hundred thousand rupees, or with both.
Explanation.— "Originator" means the initiator of a defamatory imputation.]

Source and verification

Source citation: PPC (Act XLV of 1860) s.500: Pakistan Code portal PDF p.175, ingested 2026-09-15. Footnote: proviso & explanation subs. and ins. by Act IX of 2004, ss.7-8 (per official footnote 'Act IX of 04'). Human admin re-check recommended.

Verification status: verified · Text status: verified

This entry is marked verified in the Qanoon data record. Check the latest official publication before relying on it.

Official Urdu text status: pending_official_urdu_text. Where official Urdu wording has not been sourced, Qanoon does not substitute an unverified translation for the statutory text.

Amendment references

• Act No. IX of 2004 — Substituted/inserted the s.500 originator proviso (up to 5 years; fine not less than PKR 100,000) and Explanation defining 'originator'. NEW in v2. verified

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