The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) with effect from 1 July 2024. The BNS has 358 sections, down from the IPC's 511, so almost every familiar section number has changed — murder is no longer "302", cheating is no longer "420", and so on. This master table maps the most commonly used IPC sections to their new BNS provisions, so lawyers, students, police and litigants can look up the new number at a glance. It is followed by notes on what was removed and the new offences the BNS introduces.
Quick note on how to read this: where the old IPC offence and its punishment sat in two sections (for example, 375 defines rape and 376 punishes it), the BNS often merges them or splits them into sub-sections. Sub-sections are shown as, e.g., 318(4).
IPC to BNS Section Converter (key provisions)
| Offence / Provision | IPC Section | BNS Section |
|---|---|---|
| General principles | ||
| Common intention (acts by several persons) | 34 | 3(5) |
| Common object (unlawful assembly) | 149 | 190 |
| Abetment of a thing | 107 | 45 |
| Criminal conspiracy | 120A / 120B | 61 |
| Attempt to commit offences (general) | 511 | 62 |
| Right of private defence | 96–106 | 34–44 |
| Punishments (community service added) | 53 | 4 |
| Offences against the State & public tranquillity | ||
| Waging war against the Government of India | 121 | 147 |
| Sedition (repealed; see new "anti-national acts") | 124A | Repealed → 152 |
| Promoting enmity between groups | 153A | 196 |
| Unlawful assembly | 141 | 189(1) |
| Rioting | 146 / 147 | 191 |
| Offences affecting life | ||
| Culpable homicide (definition) | 299 | 100 |
| Murder (definition) | 300 | 101 |
| Punishment for murder | 302 | 103 |
| Mob lynching (murder by group) | — (new) | 103(2) |
| Culpable homicide not amounting to murder | 304 | 105 |
| Causing death by negligence | 304A | 106(1) |
| Dowry death | 304B | 80 |
| Abetment of suicide | 306 | 108 |
| Attempt to murder | 307 | 109 |
| Attempt to commit culpable homicide | 308 | 110 |
| Hurt | ||
| Hurt (definition) | 319 | 114 |
| Grievous hurt (definition) | 320 | 116 |
| Voluntarily causing hurt | 321 / 323 | 115 |
| Voluntarily causing grievous hurt | 322 / 325 | 117 |
| Hurt by dangerous weapons/means | 324 | 118(1) |
| Grievous hurt by dangerous weapons/means | 326 | 118(2) |
| Grievous hurt by acid (acid attack) | 326A | 124(1) |
| Act endangering life or personal safety | 336 / 337 / 338 | 125 |
| Wrongful restraint, force & assault | ||
| Wrongful restraint | 339 / 341 | 126 |
| Wrongful confinement | 340 / 342 | 127 |
| Assault (definition) | 351 | 130 |
| Offences against women & children | ||
| Assault to outrage a woman's modesty | 354 | 74 |
| Sexual harassment | 354A | 75 |
| Assault with intent to disrobe | 354B | 76 |
| Voyeurism | 354C | 77 |
| Stalking | 354D | 78 |
| Word/gesture to insult a woman's modesty | 509 | 79 |
| Rape (definition) | 375 | 63 |
| Punishment for rape | 376 | 64 |
| Rape causing death / vegetative state | 376A | 66 |
| Rape of woman under 12 years | 376AB | 65(2) |
| Sexual intercourse by a person in authority | 376C | 68 |
| Sexual intercourse by deceitful means | — (new) | 69 |
| Gang rape | 376D | 70 |
| Repeat offenders | 376E | 71 |
| Kidnapping | 359 / 363 | 137 |
| Abduction | 362 | 138 |
| Kidnapping for ransom | 364A | 140(2) |
| Kidnapping/abducting woman to compel marriage | 366 | 87 |
| Trafficking of a person | 370 | 143 |
| Buying/selling a child for prostitution | 372 / 373 | 98 / 99 |
| Marriage & cruelty | ||
| Cohabitation by deceit of lawful marriage | 493 | 81 |
| Bigamy (marrying again during lifetime of spouse) | 494 | 82 |
| Adultery (already struck down by Supreme Court) | 497 | Omitted |
| Enticing/detaining a married woman | 498 | 84 |
| Cruelty by husband or his relatives | 498A | 85 / 86 |
| Offences against property | ||
| Theft | 378 / 379 | 303 |
| Snatching | — (new) | 304 |
| Theft in a dwelling house / vehicle / place of worship | 380 | 305 |
| Extortion | 383 / 384 | 308 |
| Robbery | 390 / 392 | 309 |
| Dacoity | 391 / 395 | 310 |
| Dishonest misappropriation of property | 403 | 314 |
| Criminal breach of trust | 405 / 406 | 316 |
| Receiving stolen property | 411 | 317 |
| Cheating | 415 / 417 | 318(1)–(2) |
| Cheating & dishonestly inducing delivery of property | 420 | 318(4) |
| Mischief | 425 / 426 | 324 |
| Criminal trespass / house-trespass | 441 / 447 | 329 |
| House-breaking / burglary | 445 / 454 | 331 |
| Documents, forgery & currency | ||
| Forgery | 463 / 465 | 336(1)–(2) |
| Forgery of valuable security or will | 467 | 338 |
| Forgery for purpose of cheating | 468 | 336(3) |
| Using a forged document as genuine | 471 | 340(2) |
| Counterfeiting currency notes / bank notes | 489A | 178 |
| Defamation & criminal intimidation | ||
| Defamation | 499 / 500 | 356 |
| Criminal intimidation | 503 / 506 | 351 |
| Intentional insult to provoke breach of peace | 504 | 352 |
| Statements conducing to public mischief | 505 | 353 |
What the BNS removed
A few well-known IPC provisions have no direct successor in the BNS:
- Sedition (Section 124A) has been repealed as a stand-alone offence. In its place, Section 152 BNS punishes acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India — a differently worded provision.
- Adultery (Section 497) finds no place in the BNS, consistent with the Supreme Court's 2018 decision striking it down.
- Unnatural offences (Section 377) has been dropped as a general provision (the consensual portion having already been read down by the Supreme Court in 2018). Its omission has been noted as leaving a gap regarding non-consensual acts against adult men and the offence involving animals.
- The chapter on weights and measures and a handful of other provisions have been deleted or absorbed into special laws.
New offences the BNS introduces
- Organised crime (Section 111) and petty organised crime (Section 112).
- Terrorist act (Section 113) — brought into the general penal code for the first time.
- Mob lynching — murder by a group on grounds such as race, caste, community, sex, language or personal belief, punishable under Section 103(2).
- Snatching (Section 304) — carved out as a distinct offence from theft.
- Sexual intercourse by deceitful means (Section 69) — including a false promise of marriage, employment or identity.
- Community service introduced as a form of punishment for certain minor offences.
How to use this table
When you see an old IPC section in an older FIR, judgment or textbook, use this table to find the current BNS equivalent, and always read the actual text of the BNS provision, because several sections have been merged, re-numbered or amended in substance (for example, the punishment for murder now sits in Section 103, and cheating with inducement in Section 318(4)). For offences committed before 1 July 2024, the IPC continues to apply; the BNS governs offences committed on or after that date.
This table covers the most commonly referred provisions and is intended as a quick reference, not an exhaustive section-by-section concordance of all 358 BNS sections. This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice; please verify the exact provision and consult a qualified advocate for any specific matter.
