Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 275
repealedSale of adulterated drugs
Whoever, knowing any drug or medical preparation to have been adulterated in such a manner as to lessen its efficacy, to change its operation, or to render it noxious, sells the same, or offers or exposes it for sale, or issues it from any dispensary for medicinal purposes as unadulterated, or causes it to be used for medicinal purposes by any person not knowing of the adulteration, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.
Why this exists
This section complements the previous one on adulterating drugs: it punishes the separate act of knowingly distributing an already-adulterated drug as though it were genuine. It ensures liability reaches pharmacists, dispensary staff, and sellers who pass on a compromised medicine, not only the person who first tampered with it, since either step can seriously harm a patient relying on proper treatment. Modern pharmaceutical regulation now largely sits under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, effective 1 July 2024.