Report No. 43

32. Sabotage.-

(1) Whoever, for any purpose prejudicial to the national security, does any act which impairs the efficiency or impedes the working of, or causes damage to,-

(a) any prohibited place or any machinery or apparatus therein, or

(b) any means of public transportation, or

(c) any means of telecommunication, shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years, and shall also be liable to fine.

(2) A person shall not be guilty of an offence under this section by reason only that he stops work as a result of an industrial dispute as defined in clause (k) of section 2 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947; but nothing in this sub-section shall affect his liability to be prosecuted for any offence which he may have committed against the provisions of that Act.