📜 Official Text

(1) Intending or knowing likely to cause wrongful loss/damage to the public or a person, causing destruction of property or a change that destroys/diminishes its value/utility or injuriously affects it, is "mischief" - it need not target the property's actual owner, and can apply even to property the offender jointly owns. (2)-(6) Punished with up to 6 months, fine, or both (base); up to 1 year, fine, or both (causing actual loss/damage, including to government/local-authority property); up to 2 years, fine, or both (loss of ₹20,000-1 lakh); up to 5 years, fine, or both (loss of ₹1 lakh+); up to 5 years plus fine (mischief with preparation for causing death/hurt/restraint).