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Industrial Relations Code, 2020 · CHAPTER III — TRADE UNIONS

Section 17: Criminal conspiracy in furtherance of objects of Trade Union

Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 11 September 2026

2-minute answer

Industrial Relations Code Section 17: Criminal conspiracy in furtherance of objects of Trade Union. Full official text, provision analysis, 2026 rule links

Current-law check: The four Labour Codes commenced on 21 November 2025. For 2026 compliance, read the relevant Code with the final Central Rules and the applicable State rules/notifications; legacy Acts remain relevant to historical periods and savings.

Use this page to

Identify the establishment/worker coverage
Check the Code, Central Rule and State Rule together
Map notice, approval or filing responsibility
Preserve service, payroll and authority evidence

Practical control

Separate historical entitlement under repealed legislation from current Code compliance. Record the event date, establishment coverage and applicable Central/State instrument.

Official / primary sources

Related Finin2min guidance

Reviewed for currentness, usability and source quality on 11 September 2026. Where an official source changes after this date, the official source prevails.

Section 17 — Governs criminal conspiracy in furtherance of objects of trade union and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: No office-bearer or member of a registered Trade Union shall be liable to punishment under sub-section (2) of section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) in respect of any agreement made between the members for the…

Full official textSource checked: 20 August 20260 direct Central Rule link(s)

Current-law status

All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5320(E); use the current India Code consolidation because the Code also reflects the 2026 amendment/transition framework.

Primary sources

Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗

Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does

Operative clauses

No office-bearer or member of a registered Trade Union shall be liable to punishment under sub-section (2) of section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) in respect of any agreement made between the members for the purpose of furthering any such object of the Trade Union as is specified in section 15, unless such agreement is an agreement to commit an offence.

Provisos, explanations & qualifications

No proviso/explanation was separately extracted from this section text.

Thresholds and timelines in the text

No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in this section text.

Actors expressly appearing in the text

Trade union

Full statutory text — Section 17

Official English text transcribed from the current India Code consolidation; page headers/line breaks are normalised for web reading. The Gazette/India Code PDF remains authoritative for typography, amendment footnotes and schedules.

17. Criminal conspiracy in furtherance of objects of Trade Union.—No office-bearer or member
of a registered Trade Union shall be liable to punishment under sub-section (2) of section 120B of the
Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) in respect of any agreement made between the members for the purpose
of furthering any such object of the Trade Union as is specified in section 15, unless such agreement is
an agreement to commit an offence.

How to apply this provision

Primary statutory test — No office-bearer or member of a registered Trade Union shall be liable to punishment under sub-section (2) of section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) in respect of any agreement made between the members for the purpose of furthering any such object of the Trade Union as is specified in section 15, unless such agreement is an agreement to commit an offence.
Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Trade union.

Why this is section-specific: the operative-clause, exception, threshold and cross-reference panels above are extracted from Section 17 itself rather than a generic “trigger/control/evidence” template.

Rules, forms and cross-references

Direct 2026 Central Rule mapping

None expressly mapped in the current concordance.

Forms mapped

No prescribed form is directly mapped in the current concordance.

Other sections cited in this text

Section 15

Related Labour Hub resources

Model Standing Orders, 2026 Labour litigation

A direct concordance is not exhaustive. Central/State jurisdiction, schemes, authority appointments, saved instruments and later notifications may change the practical route without changing the section wording.

Worked example

Suppose an industrial establishment reaches a step governed by criminal conspiracy in furtherance of objects of trade union. HR/IR should create a dated file showing coverage, the competent authority/union status, required notice or application, service proof and the result. One operative text point to test is: “No office-bearer or member of a registered Trade Union shall be liable to punishment under sub-section (2) of section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) in respect of any agreement made between the members for the purpose of furthering any such object of the Trade Union a”

Illustration only; it is not statutory text or a substitute for applying the actual facts, jurisdiction, current rule/scheme and official instrument.

Q&A — Section 17

What does Section 17 of the Industrial Relations Code cover?

What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 17?

The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “No office-bearer or member of a registered Trade Union shall be liable to punishment under sub-section (2) of section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) in respect of any agreement made between the members for the purpose of furthering any such object of the Trade Union as is specified in section 15, unless such agreement is an agreement to commit an offence.” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.

Does Section 17 contain a proviso or explanation?

No standalone proviso or explanation was extracted from this section text. Check the full text below for clause-level qualifications.

What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 17?

No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.

Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 17?

No direct Central Rule is recorded in the current concordance. That does not exclude a relevant scheme, notification, State rule or enabling provision.

Is Section 17 currently operative?

All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5320(E); use the current India Code consolidation because the Code also reflects the 2026 amendment/transition framework.

Source & verification trail

Act: Industrial Relations Code, 2020 — official India Code PDF ↗

Central Rules: Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026 — G.S.R. 342(E), 8 May 2026 ↗

Official library: Ministry of Labour & Employment — Labour Codes ↗

Source check: 20 August 2026. Individual professional interpretation should be re-reviewed when the section, rules, notification, scheme, State overlay or controlling judgment changes.

Reliance note: This page is an educational legal-reference layer. Verify the current official text, the applicable Central/State rules, notifications, schemes and judicial decisions before acting on a live matter.