Official Secrets Act, 1923
3. Penalties for spying
(1) If any person for any purpose prejudicial
to the safety or interests of the State-
(a) approaches,
inspects, passes over or is in the vicinity of, or enters, any prohibited
place; or
(b) makes any sketch,
plan, model, or note which is calculated to be or might be or is intended to
be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy; or
(c) obtains, collects,
records or publishes or communicates to any other person any secret official
code or pass word, or any sketch, plan, model, article or note or other
document or information which is calculated to be or might be or is intended to
be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy 9[or which relates to a matter
the disclosure of which is likely to affect the sovereignty and integrity of
India, the security of the State or friendly relations with foreign States];
he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a
term which may extend, where the offence is committed in relation to any work
of defense, arsenal, naval, military or air force establishment or station,
mine, minefield, factory, dockyard, camp , ship or aircraft or otherwise in
relation to the naval, military or air force affairs of Government or in
relation to any secret official code, to fourteen years and in other cases to
three years.
(2) On a prosecution for an offence punishable
under this section 10[***] ; it shall not be necessary to show that the accused
person was guilty of any particular act tending to show a purpose prejudicial
to the safety or interests of the State, and, notwithstanding that no such act
is proved against him, he may be convicted if, from the circumstances of the
case or his conduct or his known character as proved, it appears that his
purpose was a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the State; and
if any sketch, plan, model, article, note, document, or information relating to
or used in any prohibited place, or relating to anything in such a place, or
any secret official code or pass word is made, obtained, collected, recorded,
published or communicated by any person other than a person acting under lawful
authority, and form the circumstances of the case or his conduct or his known
character as proved it appears that his purpose was a purpose prejudicial to
the safety or interests of the State, such sketch, plan, model , article, note,
document , 11[information, code or pass word shall be presumed to have been
made], obtained, collected, recorded, published or communicated for a purpose
prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state.