Illustrations (a) A, a landholder, knowing of the commission of a murder within the limits of his estate, willfully misinforms the Magistrate of the district that the death has occurred by accident in consequence of the bite of a snake. A is guilty of the offence defined in this section. (b) A, a village watchman, knowing that a considerable body of strangers has passed through his village in order to commit in the house of Z, a wealthy merchant residing in a neighbouring place, and being bound, under clause 5, section VII, 1Regulation III, 1821, of the Bengal Code, to give early and punctual information of the above fact to the officer of the nearest police station, willfully misinforms the police-officer that a body of suspicious characters passed through the village with a view to commit dacoity in a certain distant place in a different direction. Here A is guilty of the offence defined in the later part of this section. 2[Explanation. In section 176 and in this section the word ―offence‖ includes any act committed at any place out of if committed in 3[Pakistan], would be punishable under any of the following sections, namely, 302, 304, 382, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 399, 402, 435, 436, 449, 450, 457, 458, 459 and 460 ; and the word ―offender‖ includes any person who is alleged to have guilty of any such act.] 3[Pakistan], which, 178. Refusing oath or affirmation when duly required by public servant to make it. Whoever refuses to bind himself by an oath 4[or affirmation] to state the truth, when required so to bind himself by a public servant legally competent to require that he shall so bind himself, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend 5[three thousand rupees], or with both. 179. Refusing to answer public servant authorised to question. Whoever, being legally bound to state the truth on any subject to any public servant, refuses to answer any question demanded of him touching that subject by such public servant in the exercise of the legal powers of such public servant, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to 5[three thousand rupees], or with both. 180. Refusing to sign statement. Whoever, refuses to sign any statement made by him, when required to sign that statement by a public servant legally competent to require that he shall sign that statement, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to 5[one thousand five hundred rupees], or with both. 181. False statement on oath or affirmation to public servant or person authorised to administer an oath or affirmation. Whoever, being legally bound by an oath 4[or affirmation] to state the truth on any subject to any public servant or other person authorized by law to administer such oath 4[or affirmation], makes, to such public servant or other person as aforesaid, touching that subject, any statement which is false, and which he either knows or believes to be false or does not believe to be true, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a terms which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine. 1Rep. by Act 17 of 1862. ins. by the Indian Criminal Law Amdt. Act, 1894 (3 of 1894), s. 5. 3Subs. by the Central Laws (Statute Reform) Ordinance, 1960 (21 of 1960), s. 3 and 2 nd Sch. (w.e.f. 14th October, 1955), for ―the Provinces and the Capital of the Federation‖ which had been subs. by A.O., 1949, Art. 3(2) and 4, for ―British India‖. 4Ins. by the Oaths Act, 1873 (10 of 1873), s. 15. 5 Subs. by Ord. 86 of 02, s.2 and sch. 1. 2Explations Page 71 of 178