The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, is the new criminal code of India, an Act that consolidates and amends the provisions relating to offenses, replacing the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC) of 1860. The BNS was passed by Parliament in December 2023, received the President's assent on December 25, 2023, and came into effect on July 1, 2024. Its creation was driven by the need to modernize the criminal justice system, which was previously based on laws designed for colonial administration, and to make it more citizen-centric.
The BNS, which has 358 Sections compared to the IPC's 511, largely retains the core offenses but introduces significant changes. A key change is the removal of Sedition (formerly IPC Section 124A) as an offense. However, it introduces a new offense in Section 152 for acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India, which penalizes exciting or attempting to excite secession or armed rebellion. The BNS also introduces new offenses like Organised Crime and Terrorism. Furthermore, it explicitly criminalizes mob lynching—murder or grievous hurt committed by five or more individuals on grounds such as race, caste, or language—with a punishment of life imprisonment or death.
The BNS is one of three new laws overhauling the criminal justice system, connecting directly to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 (which replaces the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023 (which replaces the Indian Evidence Act, 1872). The BNS also introduces community service as a form of punishment for petty offenses. While retaining most provisions on offenses against the body and women, it increases the minimum age threshold for a victim to be classified as an adult in gang rape cases from 16 to 18 years.