IPC to BNS — what your old section numbers are now
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita replaced the IPC on 1 July 2024. A mapping table for the sections people actually encounter, and what changed beyond the numbering.
Published · Lawdship
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 replaced the Indian Penal Code with effect from 1 July 2024. If you are reading anything online written before that date — and most legal content on the internet still is — the section numbers in it are obsolete.
This matters practically. An FIR registered today cites BNS sections. A judgment from 2019 cites IPC sections. A lawyer's note from last year may cite either. You need to be able to move between them.
Which law applies to your case
Not the date of the FIR. The date of the offence.
- Offence committed before 1 July 2024 — the IPC applies, and the case proceeds under it however long it runs
- Offence committed on or after 1 July 2024 — the BNS applies
So the courts are running both statutes in parallel and will be for years. A 2023 offence tried in 2027 is still an IPC case.
The sections people actually encounter
| Offence | IPC | BNS |
|---|---|---|
| Common intention | 34 | 3(5) |
| Criminal conspiracy | 120B | 61 |
| Murder | 302 | 103 |
| Attempt to murder | 307 | 109 |
| Culpable homicide not amounting to murder | 304 | 105 |
| Dowry death | 304B | 80 |
| Voluntarily causing hurt | 323 | 115 |
| Grievous hurt | 325 | 117 |
| Wrongful restraint | 341 | 126 |
| Wrongful confinement | 342 | 127 |
| Assault to outrage modesty | 354 | 74 |
| Kidnapping | 363 | 137 |
| Rape | 376 | 64 |
| Theft | 379 | 303 |
| Robbery | 392 | 309 |
| Criminal breach of trust | 406 | 316 |
| Cheating | 420 | 318 |
| Receiving stolen property | 411 | 317 |
| Forgery | 465 | 336 |
| Forgery of valuable security | 467 | 338 |
| Using forged document as genuine | 471 | 340 |
| Cruelty by husband or relatives | 498A | 85 |
| Defamation | 499 / 500 | 356 |
| Intentional insult to provoke breach of peace | 504 | 352 |
| Criminal intimidation | 506 | 351 |
What actually changed, beyond the numbers
Renumbering is the visible part. Three substantive changes matter more.
Organised crime and terrorism entered the general criminal law. Offences previously dealt with under special statutes now have counterparts in the BNS itself.
Community service appears as a punishment for certain minor offences — a genuinely new sentencing option in Indian criminal law.
Snatching is now a distinct offence rather than being charged as theft or robbery depending on the facts.
Where people go wrong
Assuming a downloaded format is current. Bail application templates, complaint formats and notice drafts circulating online overwhelmingly still cite IPC sections. Filing one for a post-July-2024 offence means citing a repealed statute.
Searching the wrong number. If your FIR says BNS 318, searching "IPC 318" returns something entirely unrelated. Always check which statute the number belongs to before reading anything about it.
Assuming the punishment carried over unchanged. Most did. Not all. Check the provision rather than assuming the old sentence applies.
This table covers the sections most commonly encountered and is provided for general orientation only. It is not exhaustive, statutory provisions should always be verified against the bare Act, and nothing here is legal advice. If an FIR has been registered, the sections cited on it are the ones that matter — take advice on those specifically.
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