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NyayaAI

IPC to BNS section finder

On 1 July 2024 the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860; the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. Every section number the profession had memorised moved. This looks up a provision in either direction against a table that was checked entry by entry.

What this is, and what it is not

This is a curated correspondence table of 113 entries, not a concordance of the whole codes. The three new Sanhitas run to 358, 531 and 170 sections respectively. Where a provision is not in the table the lookup says so and returns nothing — it does not fall through to a language model.

That refusal is the point. A guessed mapping in a criminal matter is not a formatting error, it is the wrong charge on the wrong section, and it looks exactly as confident as a correct one. “We do not hold this section” is a useful answer; an invented section number is not.

Where a provision was split across several new sections, merged with another, or re-numbered with a change of substance, the entry carries a note saying what changed. Read the new section itself before you rely on the correspondence.

The old codes still govern older cases

The repeal is not retrospective in effect for offences already committed. An offence committed before 1 July 2024 continues to be dealt with under the Indian Penal Code, and proceedings already pending on that date continue under the Code of Criminal Procedure, by virtue of the savings in the repealing provisions read with section 6 of the General Clauses Act, 1897.

In practice that means a chargesheet filed today may cite either set of numbers depending on when the offence was committed, which is exactly why a two-way lookup matters more than a one-way one. Confirm the position for your matter — the savings provisions repay reading in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is IPC 420 under the BNS?

Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, corresponds to section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — the cheating provisions were re-organised into one section with sub-sections, so 415 maps to 318(1) and 417 to 318(2). Read the new section before relying on the correspondence: the BNS re-organised the cheating provisions rather than copying them across.

When did the BNS, BNSS and BSA come into force?

1 July 2024. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.

Does the BNS apply to an offence committed before 1 July 2024?

No. An offence committed before the commencement date continues to be governed by the Indian Penal Code, and proceedings pending on that date continue under the old Code of Criminal Procedure, under the savings in the repealing provisions read with section 6 of the General Clauses Act, 1897.

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