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§316

Criminal Breach of Trust

Plain-English Summary — Not Verbatim Statutory Text

Committed when a person, entrusted with property or with control over property, dishonestly misappropriates it, converts it to their own use, or disposes of it in violation of a legal contract or direction concerning how it should be handled.

  • The key ingredient is a breach of an existing position of trust — this is different from ordinary theft, where there was no such entrustment to begin with.

Relevant if someone you entrusted money or property to (an employee, partner, agent, or someone managing funds on your behalf) has misused it rather than simply stolen it outright.

This is a plain-English summary, not verbatim statutory text. Adhikar is an independent citizen-awareness platform, not a Government of India website. Always verify against the bare Act (legislative.gov.in) or a qualified advocate before relying on this for an actual legal situation.