From IPC to BNS: Why India Replaced Its 164-Year-Old Criminal Code (With a Full Section Mapping Table) [Reference Blog]

Quick Snapshot

	Indian Penal Code, 1860	Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
Drafted by	Lord Macaulay's First Law Commission (1834)	Ministry of Home Affairs / Parliament of India
Enacted	1860	25 December 2023
In force from	1 January 1862	1 July 2024
Total sections	511	358
Total chapters	23	20
First substantive chapter on crime	Offences against the State	Offences against woman and child
Status today	Repealed (saved for old cases)	India's main criminal law

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Part 1: What Was the IPC, and Why Did It Last So Long?

The Indian Penal Code was written by a committee headed by Thomas Babington Macaulay in the 1830s. It was the first comprehensive criminal code in the British Empire — and honestly, it was very well drafted for its time. It defined crimes clearly, arranged them logically, and gave general principles (like mens rea, general exceptions, and abetment) that courts could apply consistently.

That quality is exactly why it survived for 164 years. Independent India kept it, amended it more than 75 times, and built an enormous body of case law around it. Every lawyer, judge and police officer in the country was trained on IPC section numbers.

But the IPC was also a colonial statute, written by a foreign government for a colonised population. Its priorities reflected that. And by 2020, large parts of it simply did not match the country it was governing.

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Part 2: Why Was the IPC Phased Out?

The government's stated aim was to move from a system built to punish and control to one built to deliver justice. Here are the main reasons, explained simply.

1. It carried colonial baggage

The IPC opened its substantive part with offences against the State — treason, waging war, sedition. That ordering was not accidental. A colonial code protects the ruler first. The BNS deliberately reverses this: Chapter V of the BNS deals with offences against women and children, placed before offences against the State. It's a symbolic change, but symbolism in a criminal code matters.

The most criticised colonial hangover was Section 124A (sedition). Used against freedom fighters like Tilak and Gandhi, it kept being used against journalists, students and critics well into the 2020s. In 2022 the Supreme Court in S.G. Vombatkere v. Union of India put the section on hold entirely. The BNS does not carry sedition forward.

2. Several provisions were legally dead but still on the books

• Section 377 (unnatural offences) — read down by the Supreme Court in Navtej Singh Johar (2018) so far as consenting adults were concerned.
• Section 497 (adultery) — struck down as unconstitutional in Joseph Shine (2018).
• Section 309 (attempt to suicide) — effectively neutralised by the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.
• Sections 310–311 (thugs) — aimed at the organised highway-robbery gangs of the early colonial period, which had ceased to operate by the late 1800s.

Keeping repealed or unconstitutional text inside a live statute confuses everyone, especially police officers on the ground.

3. New crimes had no home

The IPC had no section for:

• Organised crime and syndicate activity
• Terrorism (states used separate special laws like MCOCA, UAPA)
• Mob lynching
• Snatching (chain snatching was awkwardly squeezed into theft or robbery)
• Hit-and-run where the driver flees without reporting
• Sexual intercourse obtained on a false promise of marriage

Courts were stretching old definitions to cover new realities. The BNS creates express provisions instead.

4. Punishments were outdated and inconsistent

Fines fixed in 1860 rupees had become meaningless. Some serious offences carried light sentences, while some trivial ones carried heavy ones. The BNS:

• Increased imprisonment terms for 33 offences
• Increased fines for 83 offences
• Introduced mandatory minimum punishment in 23 offences
• Introduced community service as a punishment for the first time in Indian criminal law

5. It was one part of a three-law package

The BNS did not arrive alone. It came with:

Old law	New law
Indian Penal Code, 1860	Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS)
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973	Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS)
Indian Evidence Act, 1872	Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA)

Substantive law, procedure and evidence were all rewritten together so that timelines, digital evidence and forensic requirements would fit each other. Reforming only the IPC would have achieved very little.

6. Simplification and de-duplication

The IPC had 511 sections; the BNS has 358. Nothing important was thrown away — related sections were merged into one section with sub-sections. For example, the core punishment degrees of extortion (IPC 383–389) now sit inside a single Section 308 with sub-sections.

One caution here: consolidation does not mean an entire subject collapses into one section. Extortion still interacts with Section 309 BNS (when extortion amounts to robbery) and Section 311 BNS (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt). So Section 308 gathers the graded punishments for extortion, but you still have to read it alongside the robbery and dacoity provisions.

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Part 3: What's Genuinely New in the BNS?

Brand-new offences (no IPC equivalent)

BNS Section	New offence
48	Abetment outside India for an offence committed in India
69	Sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means or false promise of marriage
95	Hiring, employing or engaging a child to commit an offence
103(2)	Mob lynching — murder by a group of five or more on grounds of race, caste, community, sex, place of birth, language or personal belief
106(2)	Hit-and-run — causing death by rash driving and escaping without reporting to police or magistrate
111	Organised crime
112	Petty organised crime (pickpocketing, card skimming, organised theft rings)
113	Terrorist act
117(4)	Grievous hurt caused by a group of five or more on discriminatory grounds
152	Acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India
226	Attempt to commit suicide to compel or restrain a public servant from doing his duty
304	Snatching

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Exam tip: Do not say "Section 152 BNS is the new sedition." That is a common mistake. Sedition punished disaffection towards the Government. Section 152 punishes acts (including by spoken/written words, signs, electronic communication or financial means) that excite secession, armed rebellion, subversive activities, or endanger the unity of India. The target has shifted from the government to the nation.

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Community service — a first for Indian criminal law

Section 4(f) BNS lists community service as a punishment. It is available for six offences:

BNS Section	Offence
202	Public servant unlawfully engaging in trade
209	Non-appearance in response to a proclamation
226	Attempt to suicide to compel a public servant
303(2)	Theft of property under ₹5,000 by a first-time offender, where the value is returned
355	Misconduct in public by a drunken person
356(2)	Defamation

What was dropped

• Section 124A — sedition (replaced by a differently-framed Section 152)
• **Section 377 **— unnatural offences (no equivalent in the BNS at all; this has created a genuine gap for non-consensual acts against adult men and for bestiality)
• Section 497 — adultery
• Section 309 — attempt to suicide (except the narrow Section 226 situation)
• Sections 310–311 — thug and punishment for thug
• Various obsolete provisions now covered by special laws

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Part 4: Chapter-Level Mapping

IPC Chapter	Subject	BNS Chapter	BNS Sections
I	Preliminary	I	1–3
II	General explanations / definitions	I	2–3
III	Of punishments	II	4–13
IV	General exceptions	III	14–44
V & VA	Abetment; criminal conspiracy	IV	45–61
XXIII	Attempts to commit offences	IV	62
(scattered)	Offences against woman and child	V	63–99
XVI	Offences affecting the human body	VI	100–146
VI	Offences against the State	VII	147–158
VII	Offences relating to Army, Navy, Air Force	VIII	159–168
IXA	Offences relating to elections	IX	169–177
XII	Coin, currency-notes, bank-notes, Government stamps	X	178–188
VIII	Offences against public tranquillity	XI	189–197
IX	Offences by or relating to public servants	XII	198–205
X	Contempts of the lawful authority of public servants	XIII	206–226
XI	False evidence and offences against public justice	XIV	227–269
XIII & XIV	Weights and measures; public health, safety, decency, morals	XV	270–297
XV	Offences relating to religion	XVI	298–302
XVII	Offences against property	XVII	303–334
XVIII	Documents and property marks	XVIII	335–350
XXII	Criminal intimidation, insult, annoyance	XIX	351–357
XXI	Defamation	XIX	356
—	Repeal and savings	XX	358

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Part 5: The Full Section Mapping Table (IPC → BNS)

How to read this: One IPC section may map to a sub-section of a BNS section, and several IPC sections may collapse into one BNS section. "—" means there is no corresponding provision.

A. Preliminary, Punishments and General Exceptions

IPC	Subject	BNS
1–5	Title, extent, application, extra-territorial operation	1
6–52A	Definitions and general explanations	2, 3
21	Public servant	2(28)
34	Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention	3(5)
35–38	Criminal knowledge/intention of several persons	3(1)–3(4)
39–52A	Voluntarily, dishonestly, good faith, harbour etc.	2
53	Punishments	4 (adds community service)
54–55A	Commutation of sentence	5
57	Fractions of terms of punishment	6
60–70	Sentence of imprisonment; fines	7–10
71	Limit of punishment of offence made up of several offences	9
73–74	Solitary confinement	11–12
75	Enhanced punishment for repeat offenders	13
76–95	General exceptions (mistake, judicial acts, accident, necessity, infancy, insanity, intoxication, consent, trifling acts)	14–33
96–106	Right of private defence	34–44

B. Abetment, Conspiracy and Attempt

IPC	Subject	BNS
107	Abetment of a thing	45
108, 108A	Abettor; abetment outside India	46, 47
—	Abetment outside India of an offence in India	48 (new)
109–120	Punishment for abetment in various situations	49–60
120A, 120B	Criminal conspiracy; punishment	61
511	Attempt to commit offences	62

C. Offences Against Woman and Child (BNS Chapter V)

IPC	Subject	BNS
375	Rape (definition)	63
376	Punishment for rape	64
376(3), 376AB, 376DA/DB	Rape on woman under 16 / under 12	65, 70(2)
376A	Causing death or persistent vegetative state	66
376B	Intercourse by husband on wife during separation	67
376C	Intercourse by person in authority	68
—	Intercourse by deceitful means / false promise of marriage	69 (new)
376D	Gang rape	70
376E	Punishment for repeat offenders	71
228A	Disclosure of identity of victim	72
228A(3)	Printing or publishing proceedings of a rape trial without the court's permission	73
354	Assault or criminal force to outrage modesty	74
354A	Sexual harassment	75
354B	Assault with intent to disrobe	76
354C	Voyeurism	77
354D	Stalking	78
509	Word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty	79
304B	Dowry death	80
493	Cohabitation caused by deceitfully inducing belief of lawful marriage	81
494, 495	Bigamy; bigamy with concealment	82
496	Marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through	83
498	Enticing or detaining a married woman	84
498A	Cruelty by husband or his relatives	85
(Expl. to 498A)	Meaning of cruelty	86
366	Kidnapping/abducting a woman to compel marriage	87
312	Causing miscarriage	88
313	Causing miscarriage without woman's consent	89
314	Death caused by act done with intent to cause miscarriage	90
315	Act done with intent to prevent child being born alive	91
316	Causing death of a quick unborn child	92
317	Exposure and abandonment of a child under twelve	93
318	Concealment of birth by secret disposal of dead body	94
—	Hiring, employing or engaging a child to commit an offence	95 (new)
366A	Procuration of a minor girl	96
369	Kidnapping or abducting a child under ten	97
372	Selling a minor for purposes of prostitution	98
373	Buying a minor for purposes of prostitution	99

D. Offences Affecting the Human Body (BNS Chapter VI)

IPC	Subject	BNS
299	Culpable homicide	100
300	Murder	101
301	Culpable homicide by causing death of person other than intended	102
302	Punishment for murder	103(1)
—	Mob lynching (murder by group of five or more)	103(2) (new)
303	Murder by a life convict	104
304	Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder	105
304A	Death by negligence	106(1)
304A	Death by negligence by a registered medical practitioner while performing a medical procedure	106(1), new proviso (maximum 2 years instead of 5)
—	Hit-and-run (fleeing without reporting)	106(2) (new)
305	Abetment of suicide of a child or insane person	107
306	Abetment of suicide	108
307	Attempt to murder	109
308	Attempt to commit culpable homicide	110
309	Attempt to commit suicide	— (omitted)
310, 311	Thug; punishment	— (omitted)
—	Organised crime	111 (new)
—	Petty organised crime	112 (new)
—	Terrorist act	113 (new)
319	Hurt	114
321, 323	Voluntarily causing hurt; punishment	115(1), 115(2)
320	Grievous hurt	116
322, 325	Voluntarily causing grievous hurt; punishment	117(1), 117(2)
326 (part)	Grievous hurt causing permanent disability / vegetative state	117(3)
—	Grievous hurt by group of five or more on discriminatory grounds	117(4) (new)
324	Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means	118(1)
326	Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means	118(2)
327, 329	Causing hurt / grievous hurt to extort property	119
330, 331	Causing hurt / grievous hurt to extort confession	120
332, 333	Causing hurt / grievous hurt to deter a public servant	121
334, 335	Hurt / grievous hurt on grave and sudden provocation	122
328	Causing hurt by means of poison	123
326A, 326B	Acid attack; attempt to acid attack	124(1), 124(2)
336, 337, 338	Act endangering life or personal safety of others	125
339, 341	Wrongful restraint; punishment	126(1), 126(2)
340, 342	Wrongful confinement; punishment	127(1), 127(2)
343–348	Aggravated forms of wrongful confinement	127(3)–127(8)
349	Force	128
350, 352	Criminal force; punishment	129, 131
351	Assault	130
353	Assault to deter a public servant from duty	132
355	Assault with intent to dishonour a person	133
356	Assault in attempt to commit theft of property worn or carried	134
357	Assault in attempt wrongfully to confine	135
358	Assault on grave and sudden provocation	136
359, 360, 361, 363	Kidnapping (from India / from lawful guardianship); punishment	137
362	Abduction	138
363A	Kidnapping or maiming a child for begging	139
364, 364A, 365, 367	Kidnapping to murder, for ransom, for secret confinement, for grievous hurt/slavery	140
366B	Importation of a girl or boy from a foreign country	141
368	Wrongfully concealing a kidnapped person	142
370	Trafficking in persons	143
370A	Exploitation of a trafficked person	144
371	Habitual dealing in slaves	145
374	Unlawful compulsory labour	146
377	Unnatural offences	— (no equivalent)

E. Offences Against the State, Forces, Elections, Currency

IPC	Subject	BNS
121	Waging war against the Government of India	147
121A	Conspiracy to commit offences under Sec. 121	148
122	Collecting arms with intent to wage war	149
123	Concealing a design to wage war	150
124	Assaulting the President or Governor	151
124A	Sedition	— (omitted)
—	Acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India	152 (new framing)
125–130	War against Asiatic power at peace with India; harbouring; aiding prisoners of war to escape	153–158
131–140	Abetting mutiny; desertion; wearing garb of a soldier	159–168
171A–171I	Election offences: candidate, bribery, undue influence, personation, false statements, illegal payments, failure to keep accounts	169–177
230–263A	Coin, Government stamps, counterfeiting, possession of counterfeiting instruments	178–188
489A–489E	Counterfeiting currency notes and bank notes	178–181

F. Public Tranquillity and Public Servants

IPC	Subject	BNS
141–145, 151	Unlawful assembly; joining/continuing; assembly of five or more after order to disperse	189
149	Liability of every member for offence committed in prosecution of common object	190
146, 147, 148	Rioting; punishment; rioting armed with deadly weapon	191
153	Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot	192
154–158	Liability of owner/occupier; harbouring persons hired for unlawful assembly	193
159, 160	Affray; punishment	194
152	Assaulting or obstructing a public servant suppressing a riot	195
153A	Promoting enmity between different groups	196
153B	Imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration	197
166	Public servant disobeying law with intent to cause injury	198
166A, 166B	Public servant disobeying direction; failure to treat a victim	199, 200
167	Public servant framing an incorrect document	201
168, 169	Public servant unlawfully engaging in trade / bidding for property	202, 203
170, 171	Personating a public servant; wearing garb of a public servant	204, 205
172–188	Contempt of lawful authority: absconding, non-attendance, false information, obstructing, disobedience to order of public servant	206–223
189, 190	Threat of injury to a public servant / to induce a person to refrain from applying for protection	224, 225
—	Attempt to suicide to compel or restrain a public servant	226 (new)

G. False Evidence and Offences Against Public Justice

IPC	Subject	BNS
191	Giving false evidence	227
192	Fabricating false evidence	228
193	Punishment for false evidence	229
194, 195, 195A	False evidence to procure conviction; threatening a witness	230–232
196–200	Using false evidence; false declarations; false affidavits	233–237
201	Causing disappearance of evidence	238
202–210	Omission to give information; false information; fraudulent claims and decrees	239–247
211	False charge of an offence made with intent to injure	248
212	Harbouring an offender	249
213–216A	Taking gift to screen an offender; harbouring robbers/dacoits	250–254
217–229A	Public servant disobeying direction of law; escape from custody; personation of a juror; failure to appear on bail	255–269

H. Public Health, Safety, Decency, Morals and Religion

IPC	Subject	BNS
264–267	False weights and measures	270–271 (largely covered by the Legal Metrology Act, 2009)
268–271	Public nuisance; negligent act likely to spread infection; disobedience to quarantine rule	270–273
272–276	Adulteration of food, drink and drugs; sale of adulterated drugs	274–277
277–278	Fouling water; making atmosphere noxious	278–279
279–289	Rash driving; rash navigation; negligent conduct with poison, fire, explosives, machinery, animals	281–291
290–294A	Public nuisance; obscene acts and songs; keeping a lottery office	292–297
295–298	Injuring a place of worship; deliberate acts to outrage religious feelings; disturbing a religious assembly; trespassing on burial places	298–302

I. Offences Against Property

IPC	Subject	BNS
378	Theft (definition)	303(1)
379	Punishment for theft	303(2) (community service possible for first-time petty theft)
—	Snatching	304 (new)
380, 382	Theft in a dwelling house / place of worship / means of transport	305
381	Theft by clerk or servant of property in master's possession	306
382	Theft after preparation for causing death, hurt or restraint	307
383–389	Extortion and all its aggravated forms	308(1)–308(7)
390, 392, 393, 394	Robbery; punishment; attempt; voluntarily causing hurt in robbery	309
391, 395, 396, 399, 400	Dacoity; dacoity with murder; preparation; belonging to a gang of dacoits	310
397, 398	Robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt	311
401	Belonging to a gang of thieves	312
402	Assembling for the purpose of committing dacoity	313
403, 404	Dishonest misappropriation of property; of property of a deceased person	314, 315
405–409	Criminal breach of trust (general, carrier, clerk/servant, public servant/banker)	316(1)–316(5)
410–414	Stolen property; dishonestly receiving, retaining, assisting in concealment	317(1)–317(5)
415, 417, 418, 420	Cheating; punishment; cheating with knowledge of wrongful loss; cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property	318(1)–318(4)
416, 419	Cheating by personation; punishment	319(1), 319(2)
421–424	Fraudulent removal or concealment of property; fraudulent deeds	320–323
425–427	Mischief and punishment	324
428, 429	Mischief by killing or maiming animals	325
430–438	Mischief by injury to irrigation works, roads, fire, explosives, vessels	326
439, 440	Running a vessel ashore; mischief after preparation for hurt	327, 328
441, 442, 447, 448	Criminal trespass; house-trespass; punishments	329
443, 444	Lurking house-trespass; by night	330
445, 446	House-breaking; house-breaking by night	331
449–451	House-trespass to commit an offence punishable with death / life / imprisonment	332
452–460	House-trespass after preparation for hurt; aggravated house-breaking	333
461, 462	Dishonestly breaking open a closed receptacle	334

J. Documents, Property Marks and Defamation

IPC	Subject	BNS
463, 465	Forgery; punishment	336(1), 336(2)
468, 469	Forgery for cheating; forgery to harm reputation	336(3), 336(4)
464	Making a false document	335
466	Forgery of a court record or public register	337
467	Forgery of a valuable security or will	338
470, 472, 473	Forged document; making or possessing a counterfeit seal	339
471, 474	Using a forged document as genuine; possessing it	340
475, 476	Counterfeiting a device or mark used for authenticating documents	341
477	Fraudulent cancellation or destruction of a will	342
477A	Falsification of accounts	344
478–480	Trade marks (already repealed; now the Trade Marks Act, 1999)	—
481–489	Property marks; false property marks; tampering with property marks	345–350
503, 506, 507	Criminal intimidation; punishment; by anonymous communication	351
504	Intentional insult to provoke breach of the peace	352
505	Statements conducing to public mischief	353
508	Act caused by inducing belief of divine displeasure	354
510	Misconduct in public by a drunken person	355
499–502	Defamation (definition, punishment, printing, selling)	356(1)–356(4)
497	Adultery	— (omitted)

Residual sections to verify: A handful of BNS sections in Chapters XVIII and XIX (notably 343 and 357) are re-arrangements of IPC forgery and annoyance provisions and are numbered differently across published mapping tables. Check these two directly against the bare Act rather than relying on any secondary table, including this one.

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Part 6: Which Law Applies to Which Case?

This is the question that trips students up most often.

Section 358 BNS repeals the IPC but includes a savings clause. The practical rule is based on the date of the offence, not the date of trial:

• Offence committed on or before 30 June 2024 → IPC applies, and the case is tried under the CrPC and the Evidence Act.
• Offence committed on or after 1 July 2024 → BNS applies, tried under BNSS and BSA.

This means both systems will run in parallel in Indian courts for many years — probably a decade or more, until IPC-era cases finish. So for exams (and for practice), you must know both codes.

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Part 7: How to Study This as an Exam Aspirant

1. Learn the concepts first, numbers second. Culpable homicide vs. murder has not changed. Learn why IPC 300 is what it is, then attach "BNS 101" to it.
2. Anchor on the high-frequency 30. Most questions come from a small set: 302→103, 304B→80, 307→109, 375/376→63/64, 378/379→303, 420→318(4), 498A→85, 499/500→356, 120B→61, 511→62. Memorise these cold.
3. Watch the direction of the question. Exams ask both "IPC 420 corresponds to which BNS section?" and "BNS 318(4) corresponds to which IPC section?" Practise both ways.
4. Know the deletions. Sedition, adultery, Section 377, attempt to suicide, thugs — these are guaranteed question material.
5. Know the new offences. Organised crime (111), petty organised crime (112), terrorism (113), mob lynching (103(2)), snatching (304), hit-and-run (106(2)).
6. Read the bare Act. No summary — including this one — replaces the bare text of the BNS with its sub-sections and illustrations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the IPC completely dead? No. It is repealed but still governs every offence committed before 1 July 2024.

Is BNS Section 152 just sedition with a new name? No. Sedition targeted disaffection towards the Government. Section 152 targets acts encouraging secession, armed rebellion or subversive activities that endanger India's sovereignty, unity and integrity. Critics argue the wording is still broad; supporters argue the focus has properly shifted from the government to the nation. This is a live debate — worth knowing both sides for a mains answer.

Why does the BNS have fewer sections if it added new offences? Because related IPC sections were merged. IPC 383–389 (seven sections on extortion) became one section — BNS 308 — with seven sub-sections. Content was consolidated, not deleted.

Did the BNS reduce any punishments? Broadly no. It increased imprisonment for 33 offences and fines for 83, and added mandatory minimums for 23. Community service was added as a lighter option, but only for six minor offences.

Which mapping should I write in an answer sheet? For an offence after 1 July 2024, cite the BNS section as primary and add the IPC equivalent in brackets — e.g. "Section 103(1) BNS (corresponding to Section 302 IPC)". Examiners appreciate this.

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A Note on Accuracy

Section-mapping tables circulating online contain errors, and even government correspondence tables have been revised since 2024. Before relying on any single mapping in a court filing or an answer sheet, verify against the bare text of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 as published by the Ministry of Law and Justice. Where a mapping is to a sub-section, the sub-section number matters.