PPC § 161 — Public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an

Statutory text (English)

official act. Whoever, being or expecting to be a public servant, accepts or obtains, or agrees to accept,
or attempts to obtain from any person, for himself or for any other person, any gratification whatever,
other than legal remuneration, as a motive or reward for doing or for bearing to do any official act or
for showing or for bearing to show, in the exercise of his official functions, favour or disfavour to any
person, or for rendering or at tempting to render any service or disservice to any person, 2[with the
3[Federal], or any Provincial Government or Legislature], or with any public servant, as such, shall be
punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years or with
fine or with both.

Explanation.— “Expecting to be a public servant.” If a person not expecting to be in office
obtains a gratification by deceiving others into a belief that he is about to be in office, and that he will
then serve them, he may be guilty of cheating, but he is not guilty of the offence defined in this section.
“Gratification.” The word “gratification” is not restricted to pecuniary gratifications, or to
gratifications estimable in money.
“Legal remuneration.” The words “legal remuneration” are not restricted to remuneration
which a public servant can lawfully demand, but include all remuneration which he is permitted by the
4[authority by which he is employed], to accept.
“A motive or reward for doing.” A person who receives a gratification as a motive for doing
what he does not intend to do, or as a reward for doing what he has not done, comes within these
words.
1[‘Public servant’. In this section and in sections 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169 and
409, ‘public servant’ includes an employee of any corporation or other body or organization set up,
controlled or administered by, or under the authority of, the Federal Government.]
Illustrations
(a) A, a munsif, obtains from Z, a banker, a situation in Z's bank for A’s brother, as a reward
to A for deciding a cause in favour of Z. A has committed the offence defined in this
section.
(b) A, holding the office of 2[Consul] at the Court of a 3[Foreign] Power accepts a lakh of
rupees from the Minister of that Power. It does not appear, that A accepted this sum as
a motive or reward for doing or forbearing to do any particular official act, or for
rendering or attempting to render any particular service to that Power with the
4[Government of Pakistan]. But it does appear that A accepted the sum as a motive or
reward for generally showing favour in the exercise of his official functions to that
Power. A has committed the offence defined in this section.
(c) A, a public servant, induces Z erroneously to believe that A’s influence with the
Government has obtained a title for Z and thus induces Z to give A money as a reward
for this service. A has committed the offence defined in this section.

Source and verification

Source citation: PPC (Act XLV of 1860) s.161: Pakistan Code portal consolidated official PDF 'THE PAKISTAN PENAL CODE' (Act No. XLV of 1860), p. 68, 69, ingested 2026-09-15. Automated transcription from official source (pypdf extraction, audited artifact repair); human admin re-check required before production.

Verification status: verified · Text status: auto_transcribed_verified_source

The record cites an official source, but its transcription is automated or only partly checked; a human re-check is pending.

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.

Historical text notes

1 historical record is linked to this section. Historical wording may be incomplete or pending verification; it is not presented as current law.

• Date not confirmed: Consolidated current text as published in the official Pakistan Code PDF (p. 68, 69) — reflects all amendments recorded in the official footnotes up to ingest date 2026-09-15. Automated transcription; per-amendment…

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