Download Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 PDF in English (English)

About the BNSS

The **Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS)** is India's procedural criminal code. It came into force on 1 July 2024, replacing the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC). The BNSS is one of three criminal-law statutes overhauled in 2023 — alongside the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (which replaced the IPC) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (which replaced the Indian Evidence Act). The act runs to 531 sections, organised into 39 chapters, and carries two Schedules. The First Schedule is load-bearing: it classifies each offence as cognizable or non-cognizable, and as bailable or non-bailable, and points at the specific BNS/other-act section that creates the offence. Compared to the CrPC the BNSS introduces timelines for investigations and trials, expands the use of electronic communication and audio-visual means for court proceedings, and tightens rules around arrest, custody and sentencing. This page indexes the full text of every BNSS section, sourced and kept current with official notifications. Use the search above to find a section by keyword (e.g. “arrest”, “bail”) or by section number. Use the CrPC converter if you’re translating an older CrPC reference into its BNSS equivalent.