<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThis issue was decided by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in R.S. Nayak vs A.R. Antulay (1984) 3 SCC 183<\/em>. The Supreme Court held that \u201cMLAs do not fall under any category mentioned in Section 21 of the IPC. In other words, MPs and MLAs are not \u2018public servants\u2019 under the IPC\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Legal Reasoning<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe Court embarked on a meticulous examination of IPC Section 21, particularly clause (12)(a), to determine whether Antulay, as an MLA, fits the definition of a \u201cpublic servant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Key Issues Considered by the Court<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAspect<\/th> Court\u2019s Interpretation<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Definition of \u201cPublic Servant\u201d<\/td> Section 21(12)(a) encompasses individuals \u201cin the service or pay of the Government\u201d or those \u201cremunerated by fees or commission for the performance of any public duty by the Government.\u201d<\/td><\/tr> Meaning of \u201cIn the Pay of the Government\u201d<\/td> This phrase refers to persons compensated directly by the Executive branch of the Government for performing duties on its behalf. It does not include remuneration received from the Legislative branch or independent bodies.<\/td><\/tr> Separation of Powers<\/td> The Constitution draws a clear distinction between the Executive and the Legislature. While the Executive is responsible for policy execution, the Legislature exercises legislative authority and controls public finance.<\/td><\/tr> Historical Context<\/td> Amendments and committee recommendations relating to Section 21 never intended to include MLAs within the category of \u201cpublic servant.\u201d<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Final Finding in Antulay\u2019s Case<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUltimately, the Court determined that Antulay, as an MLA, does not fall within the definition of \u201cpublic servant\u201d under Section 21(12)(a) of the IPC, since his remuneration is not connected with the execution of duties on behalf of the Executive Government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Subsequent Legislative Developments<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Prevention of Corruption Laws<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\nThe old Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 was replaced by the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.<\/li>\n\n\n\n The 1988 Act significantly expanded the definition of \u201cpublic servant.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n Despite this expansion, the POCSO Act did not adopt the wider definition and instead relied on the IPC definition, which is colonial and outdated in nature.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Impact of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe uncertainty does not end here. Under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), if a public servant commits rape on a woman who is in his custody, or in the custody of a subordinate public servant, the punishment may extend to imprisonment for life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Applicability to MPs and MLAs<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nA serious legal question arises: if an MP or MLA is accused of rape, will Section 64 of the BNS apply to him? Grievously, the answer appears to be negative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is because Section 2(28) of the BNS, 2023 has retained the same definition of \u201cpublic servant.\u201d Since the Supreme Court in Antulay (supra) held that MPs and MLAs are not public servants under the IPC, this interpretation may continue to apply even under the new criminal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Need for Clarity in Kuldeep Sengar\u2019s Case<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court now needs to determine the definition of \u201cpublic servant\u201d in the context of Kuldeep Sengar\u2019s case. This determination is crucial to clarify whether an MLA falls within this category for the purpose of liability under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Delhi High Court Order and CBI Appeal<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\nThe Delhi High Court suspended Sengar\u2019s life sentence on the ground that he was not a public servant at the time of the crime.<\/li>\n\n\n\n The Central Bureau of Investigation appealed this decision, contending that Sengar\u2019s position as an MLA rendered him a public servant, thereby attracting the provisions of the POCSO Act.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Power can’t hide behind privilege forever; justice will uncover the truth, and equality will prevail. Unnao Gangrape Case: A Tale of Two Standards of Justice The Unnao gangrape case has sparked outrage and raised questions about the Indian justice system’s treatment of public servants. In this case, a constable is considered a public servant, but<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":890,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"two_page_speed":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14129","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-criminal-law"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/890"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14129\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}