(1) Whoever assaults or obstructs any public servant or uses criminal force on any public servant in the discharge of his duty as such public servant in endeavouring to disperse an unlawful assembly, or to suppress a riot or affray, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine which shall not be less than twenty-five thousand rupees, or with both.
(2) Whoever threatens to assault or attempts to obstruct any public servant or threatens or attempts to use criminal force to any public servant in the discharge of his duty as such public servant in endeavouring to disperse an unlawful assembly, or to suppress a riot or affray, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 195
Section 195 penalizes assaulting or obstructing a public servant when suppressing a riot or unlawful assembly, prescribing imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or fine, or both.
In defending protestors charged with pelting stones at police vans, challenge individual identification: in mass mob tear-gas dispersal scenes, test test identification parades (TIP) and video footage to prove your client was an innocent trapped bystander.