This article is for general legal information and does not constitute legal advice. The mappings below are working references; every section invoked in an FIR, chargesheet or pleading must be verified against the official Department of Justice concordance and the bare text of the BNS on India Code before filing.
BNS to IPC section conversion table work helps advocates map old IPC language to the current Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita before drafting, arguing, or researching. Use it alongside FIR quashing under Section 528 BNSS, bail conditions under BNSS, and arrest custody remand under BNSS.
This post is part of the Criminal Procedure in India 2026 pillar.
BNS to IPC section conversion table research starts with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), which replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860 with effect from 1 July 2024. The section numbers changed across the board, the structure was reorganised into 358 sections, and a small number of new offences were introduced — but the substantive criminal law in the BNS substantially carries forward the offences that were charged under the IPC, with drafting changes in places. For advocates working through the transition, the practical need is a working section-by-section concordance for the offences actually filed.
This guide gives you a working BNS-to-IPC concordance for the most-searched offences, the new offences introduced by the BNS, and the verification workflow before any concordance entry enters an FIR, chargesheet or pleading.
How is the BNS organised compared to the IPC?
The IPC, 1860 ran to 511 sections across 23 Chapters. The BNS, 2023 runs to 358 sections across 20 Chapters. The reduction is the product of consolidation, deletion of obsolete provisions (sedition under IPC §124A; offences against the foreign sovereign), reorganisation, and substantive amendments to existing offences. The structural rough equivalents:
| BNS Chapter | Subject | Rough IPC Chapter equivalent | |---|---|---| | Chapter I (§§1–3) | Preliminary | Chapter I IPC | | Chapter II (§§14–44) | General exceptions | Chapter IV IPC | | Chapter III | Right of private defence | Chapter IV IPC | | Chapter IV | Abetment, criminal conspiracy, attempt | Chapters V, V-A IPC | | Chapter V (§§63–99) | Offences against women and children | Chapter XVI IPC (sexual offences) | | Chapter VI (§§100–146) | Offences affecting human body | Chapter XVI IPC (offences against body) | | Chapter VII | Offences against the State | Chapter VI IPC | | Chapter VIII | Offences relating to Army, Navy, Air Force | Chapter VII IPC | | Chapter IX | Offences relating to elections | Chapter IX-A IPC | | Chapter X | Offences relating to coin, currency notes, bank notes | Chapter XII IPC | | Chapter XI | Offences against public tranquillity | Chapter VIII IPC | | Chapter XII | Offences by or relating to public servants | Chapter IX IPC | | Chapter XIV | False evidence and offences against public justice | Chapter XI IPC | | Chapter XV | Offences affecting the public health, safety, decency, morals | Chapter XIV IPC | | Chapter XVI (§§275–294) | Offences relating to religion | Chapter XV IPC | | Chapter XVII (§§303–334) | Offences against property | Chapter XVII IPC | | Chapter XVIII (§§336–342) | Offences relating to documents and property marks | Chapter XVIII IPC | | Chapter XIX (§§351–358) | Criminal intimidation, insult, annoyance, defamation | Chapters XXI, XXII IPC |
The chapter-level mapping above is approximate; some IPC chapters have been split or merged, and some offences have been moved across chapters in the BNS. Always verify the exact section before charging.
What is the BNS to IPC concordance for the most-searched offences?
The table below covers the offences most commonly invoked in day-to-day criminal practice. It is a working concordance and not a substitute for the bare text. Every entry must be verified on India Code or the Department of Justice portal before being relied on.
Offences against human body
| Offence | BNS section | IPC section | |---|---|---| | Murder (definition) | §101 | §300 | | Murder (punishment) | §103 | §302 | | Culpable homicide not amounting to murder | §105 | §304 | | Death by negligence | §106 | §304A | | Dowry death | §80 | §304B | | Attempt to murder | §109 | §307 | | Attempt to commit culpable homicide | §110 | §308 | | Voluntarily causing hurt | §115 | §323 | | Voluntarily causing grievous hurt | §117 | §325 | | Hurt by dangerous weapon or means | §118 | §324 / §326 | | Wrongful restraint | §126 | §339 / §341 | | Wrongful confinement | §127 | §340 / §342 | | Kidnapping | §137 | §359 / §363 | | Abduction | §138 | §362 |
Offences against women and children
| Offence | BNS section | IPC section | |---|---|---| | Rape (definition) | §63 | §375 | | Rape (punishment) | §64 | §376 | | Rape on woman under specified age (aggravated) | §65 | §376(3), §376AB | | Punishment for causing death or persistent vegetative state by rape | §66 | §376A | | Sexual intercourse by husband upon wife during separation | §67 | §376B | | Sexual intercourse by person in authority | §68 | §376C | | Gang rape | §70 | §376D / §376DA / §376DB | | Repeat offender | §71 | §376E | | Assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage modesty | §74 | §354 | | Sexual harassment | §75 | §354A | | Voyeurism | §77 | §354C | | Stalking | §78 | §354D | | Word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty | §79 | §509 | | Cruelty by husband or relatives | §85, read with §86 definition | §498A |
Offences against property
| Offence | BNS section | IPC section | |---|---|---| | Theft | §303 | §378 / §379 | | Theft in dwelling house | §305 | §380 | | Extortion | §308 | §383 / §384 | | Robbery | §309 | §390 / §392 | | Dacoity | §310 | §391 / §395 | | Cheating | §318 | §415 / §417 | | Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property | §318(4) | §420 | | Criminal breach of trust | §316 (CBT) | §405 / §406 | | Receiving stolen property | §317 | §410 / §411 | | Forgery | §336 | §463 / §465 | | Forgery for the purpose of cheating | §336(3) | §468 | | Using as genuine a forged document | §340 | §471 | | Mischief | §324 | §425 / §426 | | Criminal trespass | §329(3) | §441 / §447 | | House-trespass | §329(4) | §442 / §448 |
Offences against public tranquillity, intimidation and defamation
| Offence | BNS section | IPC section | |---|---|---| | Unlawful assembly | §189 | §141 / §143 | | Rioting | §191 | §146 / §147 | | Promoting enmity between groups | §196 | §153A | | Acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony | §197 | §153B | | Criminal intimidation | §351 | §503 / §506 | | Insult | §352 | §504 | | Statements conducing to public mischief | §353 | §505 | | Defamation | §356 | §499 / §500 |
Other commonly-charged offences
| Offence | BNS section | IPC section | |---|---|---| | Abetment of suicide | §108 | §306 | | Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention | §3(5) | §34 | | Common object of unlawful assembly | §190 | §149 | | Criminal conspiracy | §61 | §120A / §120B | | Attempt to commit offence punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment | §62 | §511 | | Public servant disobeying law with intent to cause injury | §198 | §166 | | Bribery (election) | §170 | §171B |
What new offences does the BNS introduce?
The BNS introduces a small but consequential set of new offences and reorganisations.
- Organised crime — Section 111 BNS. A standalone substantive offence covering organised crime syndicates, their activities, and associated punishments. This was previously addressed only through state legislation (MCOCA, GCTOC, etc.) or specific central statutes.
- Petty organised crime — Section 112 BNS. A separate provision for petty organised crime.
- Terrorist act — Section 113 BNS. Terrorist act introduced as a substantive offence in the general penal law, alongside (and not in displacement of) the UAPA.
- Mob lynching — Section 103(2) BNS. Aggravated form of murder when committed by a group on grounds of race, caste, community, sex, place of birth, language, personal belief, etc. Punishable with death or imprisonment for life.
- Community service. Introduced as a form of punishment for petty offences. The first time community service appears as a punishment in the general penal law of India.
- Snatching — Section 304 BNS. Snatching introduced as a separately defined offence, distinct from theft and robbery.
These additions and the deletion of IPC §124A (sedition) are the substantive substantive changes. Most other offences carry forward in renumbered form.
What about offences the BNS deleted from the IPC?
The most prominent deletion is IPC §124A (sedition). The BNS does not contain a direct equivalent of §124A. However, Section 152 BNS — which deals with acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India — has been read by some commentators as occupying a similar function in part. The exact scope of Section 152 BNS is the subject of pending litigation and academic debate; advocates should check the latest controlling authority before either charging or defending under it.
Other deleted provisions include some obsolete offences against the foreign sovereign and certain colonial-era provisions that had fallen into disuse.
How does the BNS affect pending IPC matters?
The BNS does not have retrospective effect on substantive offences. Article 20(1) of the Constitution prevents conviction under a law that did not exist at the time of the alleged offence, and the BNS preserves this baseline through its transitional provisions.
The practical rules for the transition:
- Offence allegedly committed before 1 July 2024: charged, prosecuted and tried under the IPC. The repealed IPC continues to apply for these matters by virtue of the General Clauses Act and the BNS's own transitional provisions.
- Offence allegedly committed on or after 1 July 2024: charged under the BNS.
- Continuing offences spanning both periods: examine the date of completion of the offence; if the offence was completed after 1 July 2024 it is generally chargeable under the BNS.
- Procedural provisions under the BNSS: apply to ongoing proceedings from 1 July 2024 onwards in accordance with the BNSS's own transitional provisions, subject to vested rights of the accused.
For the procedural transition (BNSS), see Section 482 BNSS vs Section 438 CrPC: Anticipatory Bail Guide.
What is the verification workflow before any concordance entry enters a pleading?
The concordance above is a working reference. Before any BNS section is invoked in an FIR, chargesheet or pleading, the verification workflow is:
- Open the BNS bare text on India Code and read the section in full. Confirm the offence ingredients match the facts.
- Cross-check the Department of Justice concordance for the official IPC equivalence.
- Confirm the punishment in the bare text — drafting changes in the BNS sometimes alter the punishment range from the IPC equivalent.
- Search Indian Kanoon for "Section [X] BNS" with the offence keyword to surface post-1 July 2024 orders interpreting the section.
- Maintain a citation log entry for each new BNS section invoked in your file.
To run the BNS / IPC mapping faster on a live FIR, start a free Lawbot Express session and paste the FIR text in. Lawbot Express returns the BNS sections invoked in the FIR with their IPC equivalents from the Department of Justice concordance.
What are the most common BNS / IPC drafting mistakes?
The five recurring mistakes:
- Charging an IPC section in a post-1 July 2024 FIR out of habit. The operative law is the BNS for offences committed on or after that date.
- Charging a BNS section in a pre-1 July 2024 matter. A retrospective application of the BNS is constitutionally barred under Article 20(1).
- Treating renumbering as substantive change. Most BNS sections substantively carry forward the IPC offence; the established case law continues to govern the elements.
- Missing the genuinely new offences. Section 111 (organised crime), Section 113 (terrorist act), Section 103(2) (mob lynching) and snatching under Section 304 are new and require offence-specific research.
- Citing fabricated BNS-era authorities. The Supreme Court treats reliance on fake AI-generated authorities as misconduct; see Supreme Court Calls AI Fake Citations 'Misconduct'.
The bottom line on BNS / IPC mapping
The BNS replaced the IPC from 1 July 2024. Offence numbers changed; the substantive criminal law substantially carries forward with a small set of genuine additions (organised crime, terrorist act, mob lynching, community service, snatching) and the deletion of sedition. For pending IPC matters, the IPC continues to apply. For new matters, the BNS is the live statute, and every section invoked in a pleading must be verified against the bare text on India Code and the Department of Justice concordance before filing.
To run the concordance lookup for your FIR or chargesheet, run a Lawbot Express prompt on the section list.