Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Directory & IPC Cross-Reference
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 replaces the 163-year-old Indian Penal Code (IPC). Search modern section numbers, offense summaries, punishments, and corresponding IPC clauses.
Abetment of an Offence
A person abets the doing of a thing who instigates any person to do that thing, engages with one or more other persons in any conspiracy, or intentionally aids by any act or illegal omission the doing of that thing.
Criminal Conspiracy
When two or more persons agree to do, or cause to be done, an illegal act, or an act which is not illegal by illegal means, such an agreement is designated a criminal conspiracy, provided overt acts occur where required.
Punishment for Rape
Sexual intercourse with a woman against her will, without her consent, or with consent obtained by putting her in fear of death or hurt, or false pretense. Categorized under stringent non-bailable clauses.
Punishment for Rape in Aggravated Cases
Rape committed by police officer, public servant, member of armed forces, management or staff of jail, remand home, hospital, or relative, guardian or teacher, or on a woman known to be pregnant, or during communal violence.
Rape Resulting in Death or Persistent Vegetative State
Whoever commits rape and in the course of such commission inflicts an injury which causes the death of the woman or causes the woman to be in a persistent vegetative state.
Sexual Intercourse on False Promise of Marriage / Deceitful Means
Whoever, by deceitful means or by making promise to marry a woman without any intention of fulfilling the same, has sexual intercourse with her not amounting to rape. Deceitful means include false promise of employment, promotion, or marriage under hidden identity.
Gang Rape
Where a woman is raped by one or more persons constituting a group or acting in furtherance of a common intention, each of those persons shall be deemed to have committed gang rape.
Assault or Criminal Force to Woman with Intent to Outrage Modesty
Whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty.
Sexual Harassment
Physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures; or a demand or request for sexual favors; or showing pornography against the will of a woman; or making sexually colored remarks.
Assault with Intent to Disrobe Woman
Any man who assaults or uses criminal force to any woman or abets such act with the intention of disrobing or compelling her to be naked.
Voyeurism
Any man who watches, or captures the image of a woman engaging in a private act in circumstances where she would usually expect not to be observed, or disseminates such image.
Stalking
Any man who follows a woman and contacts, or attempts to contact such woman repeatedly despite clear indication of disinterest; or monitors the use by a woman of the internet, email or other electronic communication.
Word, Gesture or Act Intended to Insult Modesty of a Woman
Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, or intrudes upon privacy.
Dowry Death
Where the death of a woman is caused by burns or bodily injury or occurs otherwise than under normal circumstances within 7 years of her marriage, and it is shown that soon before her death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or in-laws for dowry.
Husband or Relative of Husband Subjecting Woman to Cruelty
Whoever, being the husband or the relative of the husband of a woman, subjects such woman to cruelty as defined in Section 86.
Statutory Definition of Cruelty
Defines cruelty as: (a) Any wilful conduct likely to drive the woman to commit suicide or cause grave injury or danger to life, limb or health (mental or physical); (b) Harassment to coerce her or any person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for property or valuable security.
Punishment for Murder (including Mob Lynching)
Clause (1): Whoever commits murder shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life, and fine. Clause (2): Mob Lynching - when a group of 5 or more persons acting in concert commits murder on ground of race, caste, community, sex, place of birth, language, personal belief or other ground.
Culpable Homicide not Amounting to Murder
Causing death with the intention of causing death or bodily injury likely to cause death, without premeditation or under sudden provocation (IPC Exceptions).
Causing Death by Negligence (Hit & Run Provisions)
Clause (1): Causing death by rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide. Clause (2): Hit and Run - Escaping without reporting the incident to a police officer or Magistrate soon after the accident.
Abetment of Suicide of Child or Person of Unsound Mind
If any child or person of unsound mind commits suicide, whoever abets the commission of such suicide.
Attempt to Murder
Whoever does any act with such intention or knowledge, and under such circumstances that, if he by that act caused death, he would be guilty of murder.
Attempt to Commit Culpable Homicide
Whoever does any act with such intention or knowledge that, if death resulted, it would be culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Organized Crime
Any continuing unlawful activity including kidnapping, robbery, vehicle theft, extortion, land grabbing, contract killing, economic offences, cybercrimes done as a syndicate for direct or indirect material benefit.
Petty Organized Crime
Whoever, being a member of a group or gang, commits theft, snatching, cheating, unauthorized selling of tickets, betting, gambling, or organized pickpocketing.
Terrorist Act
Any act committed with intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, sovereignty, security, or economic security of India, or by terrorizing the general public by using explosives, firearms, lethal weapons, or cyber means.
Voluntarily Causing Hurt
Whoever does any act with the intention of thereby causing hurt to any person, or with the knowledge that he is likely thereby to cause hurt.
Voluntarily Causing Grievous Hurt
Voluntarily causing hurt that falls within designated severe categories (emasculation, permanent privation of sight/hearing/member, fracture, or 20 days severe bodily pain).
Voluntarily Causing Hurt or Grievous Hurt by Dangerous Weapons
Clause (1): Causing hurt by any instrument for shooting, stabbing, cutting, fire, corrosive substance or poison. Clause (2): Causing grievous hurt by such dangerous weapons.
Causing Hurt by Means of Poison, etc., with Intent to Commit an Offence
Whoever administers to or causes to be taken by any person any poison or any stupefying, intoxicating or unwholesome drug, with intent to cause hurt or to commit or facilitate an offence.
Kidnapping
Whoever takes or entices any minor (under 18 years) or person of unsound mind, out of the keeping of the lawful guardian without the consent of such guardian.
Kidnapping or Abducting in Order to Murder or for Ransom
Whoever kidnaps or abducts any person in order that such person may be murdered or so disposed of as to be put in danger of being murdered, or demands ransom.
Waging War Against Government of India
Whoever wages war against the Government of India, or attempts to wage such war, or abets the waging of such war.
Acts Endangering Sovereignty, Unity and Integrity of India
Whoever, purposely or knowingly, by words spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or by electronic communication or by use of financial mean, excites or attempts to excite secession or armed rebellion or subversive activities, or encourages feelings of separatist activities or endangers sovereignty or unity and integrity of India.
Unlawful Assembly
An assembly of five or more persons designated an unlawful assembly if the common object is to overawe by criminal force, resist execution of law, commit mischief or criminal trespass.
Rioting
Whenever force or violence is used by an unlawful assembly, or by any member thereof, in prosecution of the common object of such assembly.
Promoting Enmity Between Different Groups
Promoting or attempting to promote on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will.
Imputations, Assertions Prejudicial to National Integration
Making or publishing any imputation or assertion that any class of persons cannot bear true allegiance to the Constitution, or advocating deprivation of citizenship rights.
Disobedience to Order Promulgated by Public Servant
Disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant (e.g. curfew, Section 163 BNSS / 144 CrPC order), causing obstruction, annoyance, or danger to human life.
Giving or Fabricating False Evidence (Perjury)
Intentionally giving false evidence in any stage of a judicial proceeding, or fabricating false evidence for the purpose of being used in any stage of a judicial proceeding.
Uttering Words with Intent to Wound Religious Feelings
With deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of any person, utters any word or makes any sound or gesture in hearing/sight of that person.
Deliberate and Malicious Acts to Outrage Religious Beliefs
Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or visible representation or electronic means insults or attempts to insult the religion or religious beliefs.
Theft (with Community Service Alternative for Petty Theft)
Clause (1): Dishonestly taking any movable property out of the possession of any person without consent. Clause (2): General punishment up to 3 years, or fine, or both. Proviso to Clause (2): For theft of property valued under ₹5,000 on first conviction where stolen property is restored, the court may sentence the offender to community service.
Snatching
Theft is snatching if, in order to commit theft, the offender suddenly or quickly or forcibly seizes, secures, grabs or takes away from any person or from his possession any movable property.
Extortion
Intentionally putting any person in fear of any injury to that person or to any other, and thereby dishonestly inducing the person so put in fear to deliver to any person any property or valuable security.
Robbery
In all robbery there is either theft or extortion, accompanied by causing or attempting to cause death, hurt, or wrongful restraint.
Dacoity
When five or more persons conjointly commit or attempt to commit a robbery, or are present and aiding such commission.
Criminal Breach of Trust (CBT)
Whoever, being in any manner entrusted with property, or with any dominion over property, dishonestly misappropriates or converts to his own use that property, or dishonestly uses or disposes of that property in violation of any direction of law or legal contract.
Dishonestly Receiving Stolen Property
Whoever dishonestly receives or retains any stolen property, knowing or having reason to believe the same to be stolen property.
Cheating and Dishonestly Inducing Delivery of Property
Clause (1): Deceiving any person fraudulently or dishonestly to deliver any property, or consent that any person shall retain property, or intentionally inducing the person so deceived to do or omit to do anything. Clause (2) Simple cheating: Imprisonment up to 3 years. Clause (4) Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property: Imprisonment up to 7 years, and fine.
Mischief
Whoever with intent to cause, or knowing that he is likely to cause, wrongful loss or damage to the public or to any person, causes the destruction of any property, or any such change in any property or in the situation thereof as destroys or diminishes its value or utility.
Criminal Trespass & House-Trespass
Whoever enters into or upon property in the possession of another with intent to commit an offence or to intimidate, insult or annoy any person in possession of such property.
Forgery
Whoever makes any false document or false electronic record or part of a document or electronic record, with intent to cause damage or injury, to the public or to any person, or to support any claim or title.
Forgery of Valuable Security, Will, etc.
Whoever forges a document which purports to be a valuable security or a will, or an authority to adopt a son, or an authority to receive any money or valuable security.
Using as Genuine a Forged Document or Electronic Record
Whoever fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any document or electronic record which he knows or has reason to believe to be a forged document or electronic record.
Criminal Intimidation
Clause (1): Threatening another with any injury to his person, reputation or property, or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause alarm. Clause (2): General intimidation. Clause (3): Threat to cause death or grievous hurt, or destruction of property by fire, or impute unchastity to a woman.
Intentional Insult with Intent to Provoke Breach of Peace
Whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break the public peace, or to commit any other offence.
Misconduct in Public by a Drunken Person
Whoever, in a state of intoxication, appears in any public place, or in any place which it is a trespass in him to enter, and there conducts himself in such a manner as to cause annoyance to any person.
Defamation (with Community Service Alternative)
Clause (1): Whoever, by words either spoken or intended to be read, or by signs or by visible representations, makes or publishes any imputation concerning any person intending to harm the reputation of such person. Clause (2): Punishment with imprisonment up to 2 years, or fine, or both, or with community service.
Abetment of an Offence
Statutory Definition & Offense Scope (BNS 2023)
Sub-Clauses & Aggravated Provisions:
- 48(1) Instigation
- 48(2) Conspiracy engagement
- 48(3) Intentional aid by act or omission
Prescribed Statutory Punishment / Penalties
Key Modernization Differences vs. Old IPC:
Streamlines the fragmented abetment sections of IPC into unified procedural clauses.
Applicable BNSS Procedure & Advocate Defense Strategy
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