Choose a law pair
BNS 2023 vs IPC 1860
→Compare the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 with the Indian Penal Code 1860 — the new substantive criminal law of India alongside the 164-year-old code it replaces.
BNSS 2023 vs CrPC 1973
→Compare the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 with the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 — India’s new and old criminal procedure codes.
BSA 2023 vs IEA 1872
→Compare the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 with the Indian Evidence Act 1872 — India’s new and old laws of evidence.
What actually changed
Eight changes worth knowing cold — each one opens the exact section in the comparison tool.
Sedition is out. Section 152 is in.
The word “sedition” appears nowhere in the BNS. Section 152 punishes exciting secession, armed rebellion or subversive activities — and names electronic communication and financial means outright.
Mob lynching gets its own clause
When five or more people acting together murder on the ground of race, caste, community, sex, place of birth, language or personal belief, every member faces death or life imprisonment.
Community service joins the punishments
For the first time, India’s penal code lists community service as a punishment in its own right, alongside death, imprisonment, forfeiture and fine.
Organised crime and terrorism enter the code
Kidnapping, extortion, contract killing, cyber-crime and trafficking run as a continuing enterprise are now organised crime, and a terrorist act is defined in the general penal law, not only in special statutes.
Zero FIR and e-FIR, written into the law
Information about a cognizable offence can be given “irrespective of the area where the offence is committed”, and by electronic communication as well as in person.
Absconding won’t stop the trial
A proclaimed offender who absconds to evade trial, with no immediate prospect of arrest, can be tried — and judgment pronounced — in their absence.
Forensics at the scene for serious crimes
For offences punishable with seven years or more, a forensic expert must visit the crime scene and the process is videographed — from the date each State notifies, within five years.
Electronic records stand on equal footing
An electronic or digital record cannot be refused as evidence merely because it is electronic, and “document” now expressly includes electronic and digital records.