Search Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS 2023) sections by number or keyword - offence, punishment, bailable status.
The Indian Penal Code (IPC), enacted in 1860 under British rule and drafted by Lord Macaulay's Law Commission, was India's primary criminal code for over 160 years. It contained 511 sections covering offences from theft and murder to sedition and counterfeiting. In 2023, Parliament passed the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) as a replacement, which came into effect on July 1, 2024. The BNS reorganised and renumbered most IPC sections - for example, IPC Section 302 (murder, punishable by death or life imprisonment) corresponds to BNS Section 103. Understanding which old IPC section maps to which new BNS section is critical for legal professionals handling cases registered before and after July 2024.
Law students preparing for CLAT, UPSC (Law Optional), DU LLB, AILET and state bar council examinations regularly look up IPC sections for case studies and problem-solving. Practising advocates, police personnel filing FIRs, magistrates and judicial clerks all need quick access to section definitions, punishment provisions and whether an offence is bailable or non-bailable (which determines whether the accused can be released on bail at the police station or must appear before a court). Journalism students and reporters covering crime also use IPC lookups to accurately describe charges in news articles.
The BNS introduced new offences not in the original IPC - including organised crime, terrorism-related provisions and cybercrimes. This tool covers both the IPC (for cases registered before July 1, 2024) and the BNS (for cases from July 1, 2024 onward), with cross-references between corresponding sections, making it useful during the extended transition period when both codes remain relevant in pending court matters.