Section 420

Section 420

Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code also used in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan has become a slang reference for a confidence trickster. Such criminals are called "420" in popular culture in those countries.

A "420" is a person acting fraudulently to cheat somebody out of their belongings; a confidence trickster. Section 420 of the Penal Codes of both India and Pakistan cover such activity. The Penal Codes of both countries are inherited from the Indian Penal Code of 1860 instituted by the Anglo-Indian government of the Indian subcontinent, which then included the present-day countries of India and Pakistan. A popular 1955 Hindi film from India, "Shri 420" (in English: "Mr. 420") has a central character who, though innocent, is regarded by many as a con man, hence "Mr. 420".

It is to be noted that the code was also in use in other neighboring countries such as Myanmar, where even today the term "420" means a con-artist. In the Nigerian Criminal Code, the same offense is covered by article 419, which has also given its name to the now ubiquitous advance fee fraud.

This should not be confused with the association of '420' with marijuana in the USA.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • 420 (number) — 420 is the natural number following 419 and preceding 421.420 is the sum of four consecutive primes (101 + 103 + 107 + 109). 420 is a zero of the Mertens function and is sparsely totient.It is a pronic number, and the smallest number divisible by …   Wikipedia

  • 420 (cannabis culture) — 4:20 or 4/20 (pronounced four twenty) is a term used in North America to refer to the consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with the drug subculture around cannabis. Origins and observances Although there are many… …   Wikipedia

  • 420 (disambiguation) — For the year, see 420 or 420 BC. The Number 420 is a number in the middle of the number 419 and 421. 420 can also refer to:* 420 (number) * 420 (dinghy), in sailing, a class of doublehanded racing sailboats * 420 (cannabis culture), a term used… …   Wikipedia

  • 420 — Inglish (Indian English) Dictionary A deceptive person, one who cheats you (after Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code); I thought Jay was a nice guy but he turned out to be 420 …   English dialects glossary

  • 420 (культура употребления марихуаны) — У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. 420 (число). 420 (произносится четыре двадцать ) в культуре термин, используемый в Северной Америке. Число 420 в данной культуре означает либо 4:20 p.m. (16 ч. 20 м.)  время, когда… …   Википедия

  • Shri 420 — Infobox Film name = Shri 420 श्री ४२० 420 شری caption = Original poster imdb id = 0048613 writer = Khwaja Ahmad Abbas V.P. Sathe starring = Raj Kapoor Nargis Nadira director = Raj Kapoor producer = Raj Kapoor editing = G.G. Mayekar released =… …   Wikipedia

  • Ontario Highway 420 — Highway 420 Niagara Veterans Memorial Highway …   Wikipedia

  • Highway 420 (Ontario) — Highway 420 is a 400 Series Highway in Ontario, Canada. It is a spur route from the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) to the tourist district of Niagara Falls.At 3.8 km (2.4 miles) in length, Highway 420 is Ontario s shortest 400 series Highway, running… …   Wikipedia

  • California Senate Bill 420 — (colloquially known as the Medical Marijuana Program Act[1]) was a bill introduced by John Vasconcellos of the California State Senate, and subsequently passed by the California State Legislature and signed by Governor Gray Davis in 2003 pursuant …   Wikipedia

  • New York State Route 420 — NYS Route 420 Map of northeastern St. Lawrence County with NY 420 highlighted in red Route info …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”