History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.750.2

v4.c63.750.2

by giving (or threatening to give false) information about a person as a thief or a felon, or as one who breaks the rules of decent conduct, or as an adulterous person, or by pointing out those who are of bad character or by spreading false reports about a person. He further provides that a person offering the bribe should not be fined, but the intermediary may be fined and if the person accepting the bribe has been appointed to an office by the king he should be made to return the bribe and pay a fine eleven times as much to the king. But Kāt. adds that where a person not holding a public appointment obtains some gratification for work done, he would not be held guilty and would not have to return what he received as a reward or in gratitude. Hārīta holds out⁸²¹ other-worldly evil consequences for not actually delivering what is promised or for resuming what has been already delivered as a gift viz. the person doing so falls into Hell and is born as one of the lower animals and adds that what is promised as a gift for a religious purpose in so many words but is not actually delivered becomes a debt in this world and the next i. e. the king should make the promisor give the promised gift and should inflict a fine. Kāt.