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OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT 1920 - SECT 1

1. If any person for the purpose of gaining admission, or of assisting any
other person to gain admission, to a prohibited place, within the meaning of
the Official Secrets Act, 1911 (hereinafter referred to as "the principal
Act"), or for any other purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the
State within the meaning of the said Act

(a)uses or wears, without lawful authority, any naval, military, air-force,
police, or other official uniform, or any uniform so nearly resembling the
same as to be calculated to deceive, or falsely represents himself to be a
person who is or has been entitled to use or wear any such uniform; or

(b)orally, or in writing in any declaration or application, or in any document
signed by him or on his behalf, knowingly makes or connives at the making of
any false statement or any omission; or

(c)forges, alters, or tampers with any passport or any naval, military,
air-force, police, or official pass, permit, certificate, licence, or other
document of a similar character (hereinafter in this section referred to as an
official document), or uses or has in his possession any such forged, altered,
or irregular official document; or

(d)personates, or falsely represents himself to be a person holding, or in the
employment of a person holding, office under His Majesty, or to be or not to
be a person to whom an official document or secret official code word or pass
word has been duly issued or communicated, or with intent to obtain an
official document, secret official code word or pass word, whether for himself
or any other person, knowingly makes any false statement; or

(e)uses, or has in his possession or under his control, without the authority
of the Government Department or the authority concerned, any die, seal, or
stamp of or belonging to, or used, made or provided by any Government
Department, or by any diplomatic, naval, military, or air force authority
appointed by or acting under the authority of His Majesty, or any die, seal or
stamp so nearly resembling any such die, seal or stamp as to be calculated to
deceive, or counterfeits any such die, seal or stamp, or uses, or has in his
possession, or under his control, any such counterfeited die, seal or stamp;

(2) If any person

(a)retains for any purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the State
any official document, whether or not completed or issued for use, when he has
no right to retain it, or when it is contrary to his duty to retain it, or
fails to comply with any directions issued by any Government Department or any
person authorised by such department with regard to the return or disposal
thereof; or

(b)allows any other person to have possession of any official document issued
for his use alone, or communicates any secret official code word or pass word
so issued, or, without lawful authority or excuse, has in his possession any
official document or secret official code word or pass word issued for the use
of some person other than himself, or on obtaining possession of any official
document by finding or otherwise, neglects or fails to restore it to the
person or authority by whom or for whose use it was issued, or to a police
constable; or

(c)without lawful authority or excuse, manufactures or sells, or has in his
possession for sale any such die, seal or stamp as aforesaid;

(3) In the case of any prosecution under this section involving the proof of a
purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the State, subsection (2) of
section one of the principal Act shall apply in like manner as it applies to
prosecutions under that section.

© 1920 Crown Copyright

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