Two numbering systems, running side by side, for years. Here is the mapping in both directions, the three collisions that produce wrong citations, and the research problem the change created.
Offences committed before 1 July 2024 continue under the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act. Offences on or after that date are under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. Both numbering systems will be in daily use for years, so an advocate needs the mapping in both directions.
A decision path, not advice. The date of the offence is the hinge, and it is the fact most often assumed rather than established.
Not the date of the FIR, not the date of the chargesheet, not the date of filing. The date on which the offence is alleged to have been committed. Where the allegation is of a continuing offence or a series of acts straddling 1 July 2024, this is a question that has to be worked out on the material rather than assumed.
The Indian Penal Code 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act 1872 govern the offence and its trial. The FIR, the charge and the filing all carry the old section numbers, and they will continue to do so until that matter ends — which in many cases will be years from now.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 govern. The numbering is entirely new. A provision you have cited for twenty years now sits somewhere else, and in three well-known instances it sits where a different provision used to be.
Substantive liability follows the date of the offence. Procedural and evidentiary questions can turn on the stage a matter had reached when the new codes came into force, and the saving provisions of the BNSS deal with that. Where the point is contested, read the saving provision itself and the judgments that have construed it.
Whatever mapping you use — this page, a chart circulated in chambers, a note in a commentary — open the provision itself before it goes into a filing. Mapping charts are aids. The section text is the authority, and it is the thing the court will be reading.
Most re-numbering is harmless: a section moves, you look it up. These three are different, because the number survives and its meaning does not.
Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, section 438 was anticipatory bail and section 482 was the inherent power of the High Court. Under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, anticipatory bail is section 482 and the inherent power of the High Court is section 528.
So "a 482 petition" is now ambiguous on its face. In a matter governed by the CrPC it means a quashing petition. In a matter governed by the BNSS it means an application for anticipatory bail. The words around it usually disambiguate — but a citation lifted from an older note, a template, or an AI-generated draft frequently does not carry those words. It is an easy error to make and a conspicuous one to file, and it is the reason a numbering change deserves a page of its own.
The practical rule: when you write or read "482", say which code. In a filing, name the statute in full at first use and keep the code identified thereafter.
The power of a Magistrate to direct an investigation on a complaint, section 156(3) of the CrPC, appears at section 175(3) of the BNSS. The phrase "a 156(3) application" is so embedded in daily practice that it will be spoken in courts for another decade, and it will keep appearing in drafts prepared for matters that are governed by the new code.
The related provisions moved together. Information in cognizable cases — the FIR provision, section 154 CrPC — is now section 173 BNSS. A draft that correctly says 175(3) but then refers to the FIR as being under 154 has one foot in each code, and that is visible on the first page.
The admissibility of electronic records, dealt with at section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act, is now dealt with within section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, with the certificate requirement at section 63(4). Two things follow. First, "a 65B certificate" is now, for matters under the new Act, a certificate under section 63(4) — and the form of the certificate has changed. Second, the very large body of authority built around section 65B was written about a differently numbered provision, so every one of those judgments has to be read across.
Where electronic evidence is central, this is not a clerical adjustment. It affects what is filed with the document, who signs it, and what the objection at the other end will be.
Read left to right to find the new provision, right to left to find the old one. These tables cover the provisions advocates search most; they are not the complete mapping.
These tables are a research aid for locating a provision quickly. They are not a substitute for the bare Act. Open the section text before a provision goes into a filing, and remember that a mapping is between provisions, not between punishments — several new sections consolidate what were separate offences, and the sub-section carries the grading.
| IPC 1860 | BNS 2023 | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | 3(5) | Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention |
| 120B | 61(2) | Punishment for criminal conspiracy |
| 141 | 189(1) | Unlawful assembly |
| 143 | 189(2) | Punishment — member of an unlawful assembly |
| 147 | 191(2) | Punishment for rioting |
| 149 | 190 | Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object |
| 153A | 196 | Promoting enmity between groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth and the like |
| 201 | 238 | Causing disappearance of evidence of an offence |
| 279 | 281 | Rash driving or riding on a public way |
| 294 | 296 | Obscene acts and songs |
| 295A | 299 | Deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings |
| 300 | 101 | Murder — definition |
| 302 | 103(1) | Punishment for murder |
| 304 | 105 | Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder |
| 304A | 106(1) | Causing death by negligence |
| 304B | 80(2) | Dowry death |
| 306 | 108 | Abetment of suicide |
| 307 | 109 | Attempt to murder |
| 323 | 115(2) | Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt |
| 324 | 118(1) | Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means |
| 325 | 117(2) | Punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt |
| 326 | 118(2) | Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means |
| 326A | 124(1) | Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid |
| 341 | 126(2) | Punishment for wrongful restraint |
| 342 | 127(2) | Punishment for wrongful confinement |
| 354 | 74 | Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty |
| 354A | 75 | Sexual harassment |
| 354D | 78 | Stalking |
| 363 | 137(2) | Punishment for kidnapping |
| 366 | 87 | Kidnapping or abducting a woman to compel her marriage |
| 375 | 63 | Rape — definition |
| 376 | 64 | Punishment for rape |
| 376D | 70(1) | Gang rape |
| 379 | 303(2) | Punishment for theft |
| 380 | 305 | Theft in a dwelling house, means of transport or place of worship |
| 384 | 308(2) | Punishment for extortion |
| 392 | 309(4) | Punishment for robbery |
| 395 | 310(2) | Punishment for dacoity |
| 406 | 316(2) | Punishment for criminal breach of trust |
| 409 | 316(5) | Criminal breach of trust by public servant, banker, merchant or agent |
| 411 | 317(2) | Dishonestly receiving stolen property |
| 420 | 318(4) | Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property |
| 427 | 324(4) | Mischief causing damage |
| 447 | 329(3) | Punishment for criminal trespass |
| 448 | 331(1) | Punishment for house trespass |
| 465 | 336(2) | Punishment for forgery |
| 468 | 336(3) | Forgery for the purpose of cheating |
| 471 | 340(2) | Using as genuine a forged document |
| 494 | 82(1) | Marrying again during the lifetime of a husband or wife |
| 498A | 85 | Cruelty by husband or relatives of husband |
| 499 | 356(1) | Defamation — definition |
| 500 | 356(2) | Punishment for defamation |
| 504 | 352 | Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace |
| 506 | 351(2), 351(3) | Punishment for criminal intimidation |
| 509 | 79 | Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman |
| 511 | 62 | Attempt to commit offences |
A note on sedition. Section 124A of the IPC has not been carried forward as a re-numbered provision. The BNS contains section 152, dealing with acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. It is a distinct provision with its own ingredients, not a renamed 124A, and it should not be treated as a straight mapping. Read the text.
| CrPC 1973 | BNSS 2023 | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | 35 | When police may arrest without warrant |
| 41A | 35(3) | Notice of appearance before police officer |
| 50 | 47 | Person arrested to be informed of grounds of arrest and right to bail |
| 57 | 58 | Person arrested not to be detained more than twenty-four hours |
| 82 | 84 | Proclamation for person absconding |
| 83 | 85 | Attachment of property of person absconding |
| 91 | 94 | Summons to produce document or other thing |
| 125 | 144 | Order for maintenance of wives, children and parents |
| 133 | 152 | Conditional order for removal of nuisance |
| 144 | 163 | Power to issue order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger |
| 145 | 164 | Procedure where dispute concerning land or water is likely to cause breach of peace |
| 154 | 173 | Information in cognizable cases (FIR) |
| 156(3) | 175(3) | Magistrate empowered to order investigation |
| 161 | 180 | Examination of witnesses by police |
| 164 | 183 | Recording of confessions and statements |
| 167 | 187 | Procedure when investigation cannot be completed in twenty-four hours |
| 173 | 193 | Report of police officer on completion of investigation |
| 173(8) | 193(9) | Further investigation after report |
| 190 | 210 | Cognizance of offences by Magistrates |
| 197 | 218 | Prosecution of Judges and public servants — sanction |
| 200 | 223 | Examination of complainant |
| 202 | 225 | Postponement of issue of process |
| 204 | 227 | Issue of process |
| 207 | 230 | Supply of copies of police report and other documents to the accused |
| 227 | 250 | Discharge — trial before a Court of Session |
| 228 | 251 | Framing of charge — trial before a Court of Session |
| 239 | 262 | When accused shall be discharged — warrant case on police report |
| 293 | 329 | Reports of certain Government scientific experts |
| 313 | 351 | Power to examine the accused |
| 319 | 358 | Power to proceed against other persons appearing to be guilty |
| 320 | 359 | Compounding of offences |
| 321 | 360 | Withdrawal from prosecution |
| 340 | 379 | Procedure in cases affecting the administration of justice |
| 357 | 395 | Order to pay compensation |
| 372 | 413 | No appeal unless otherwise provided — victim's right of appeal |
| 374 | 415 | Appeals from convictions |
| 378 | 419 | Appeal in case of acquittal |
| 389 | 430 | Suspension of sentence pending appeal; release of appellant on bail |
| 397 | 438 | Calling for records to exercise powers of revision |
| 401 | 442 | High Court's powers of revision |
| 406 | 447 | Power of Supreme Court to transfer cases and appeals |
| 407 | 448 | Power of High Court to transfer cases and appeals |
| 436 | 478 | In what cases bail to be taken — bailable offences |
| 436A | 479 | Maximum period for which an undertrial prisoner may be detained |
| 437 | 480 | When bail may be taken in case of non-bailable offence |
| 438 | 482 | Direction for grant of bail to person apprehending arrest (anticipatory bail) |
| 439 | 483 | Special powers of High Court or Court of Session regarding bail |
| 468 | 514 | Bar to taking cognizance after lapse of the period of limitation |
| 482 | 528 | Saving of inherent powers of the High Court |
| Evidence Act 1872 | BSA 2023 | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | Definitions and interpretation |
| 8 | 6 | Motive, preparation and previous or subsequent conduct |
| 24 | 22 | Confession caused by inducement, threat or promise is irrelevant |
| 25, 26 | 23(1) | Confession to a police officer, and confession in police custody |
| 27 | Proviso to 23(2) | How much of the information received from an accused may be proved |
| 32 | 26 | Statements of persons who cannot be called as witnesses, including dying declarations |
| 45 | 39 | Opinions of experts |
| 45A | 39(2) | Opinion of the Examiner of Electronic Evidence |
| 61 to 65 | 56 to 60 | Proof of contents of documents; primary and secondary evidence |
| 65B | 63 (certificate under 63(4)) | Admissibility of electronic records |
| 101 | 104 | Burden of proof |
| 106 | 109 | Burden of proving a fact especially within knowledge |
| 118 | 124 | Who may testify |
| 137 | 142 | Examination-in-chief, cross-examination and re-examination |
| 145 | 148 | Cross-examination as to previous statements in writing |
The complete mapping across all three pairs of codes is searchable in Lawgger alongside 1,607 central and state Acts covering all 37 jurisdictions. Type an old section number and you get the new provision; type a new one and you get the old. How research and provision lookup work in the app.
A mapping table solves a lookup. It does not solve the research problem the change created, and that problem is the harder one.
Every judgment delivered before July 2024 is written about the old provisions and cites them by their old numbers. Your filing carries the new numbers. So a search on the section you are actually arguing returns very little, because almost nothing has been decided under that number yet — while the authority you need is sitting under a number you did not search for. Search on the old number instead and you find the authority, but you then have to establish, provision by provision, whether the language survived the transition intact.
Three questions have to be answered for every authority, and they are separate questions:
Lawgger links judgments to provisions in both directions — 1.28 crore-plus case-to-section links across the collection — so a search on a BNSS provision surfaces the CrPC authority that governs it, and a search on the CrPC provision surfaces what has been decided since. Every authority returned carries its good-law status, and every proposition is pin-cited to the page. Where a general assistant is used instead, the old-number-on-a-new-matter error is one of the commonest failures: see fabricated and misattributed citations.
The numbering change reaches the drafting table before it reaches the argument. Every template in every chamber that recites a section number was written for one code, and templates outlive the statutes they were drafted under. A bail application prepared from a 2019 precedent will cite 438 CrPC, and in a matter governed by the BNSS that is the wrong provision on the first page.
Lawgger's format library carries 3,500-plus Indian drafting formats across 61 categories, maintained for both numbering systems, so the provision recited matches the code that governs the matter. Where a matter is under the old codes, the old-code format is the correct one and is still there — this is not a migration, it is two live sets running side by side, exactly as the courts are running them.
Start from the format library, or go directly to the bail application format, which is the draft most affected by the section 482 collision. Drafting runs from a prompt to an intake form to a finished draft, and the finished draft sits in your chamber's private vault.
Offences committed before 1 July 2024 continue to be dealt with under the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act. The date of the offence decides it, not the date of the FIR or of the filing. Both numbering systems will therefore be in daily use for years to come.
Murder, punishable under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, is dealt with under section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023. The definition of murder that stood at section 300 IPC now appears at section 101 BNS. For an offence committed before 1 July 2024, section 302 IPC continues to apply.
Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, corresponds to section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023. Cheating generally is dealt with in section 318, with sub-sections carrying the graded punishments that were spread across sections 415 to 420 of the IPC.
Information in cognizable cases — the FIR provision at section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure — is now section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023. The related power of a Magistrate to order investigation, section 156(3) CrPC, is now section 175(3) BNSS.
Section 482 CrPC continues to apply to matters governed by the CrPC. Under the BNSS, the inherent powers of the High Court appear at section 528, while section 482 BNSS is anticipatory bail. The same number means two entirely different things depending on which code governs, so a citation to “482” should always name the code it is under.
The admissibility of electronic records, dealt with at section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act 1872, is now dealt with within section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, with the certificate requirement at section 63(4). The substance of the requirement is carried forward; the section number and the form of the certificate changed.
A trial for an offence committed before 1 July 2024 proceeds under the old codes. Procedural and evidentiary questions can turn on the stage a matter had reached when the new codes came into force, and the saving provisions of the BNSS govern that. Read the saving provision, and where the point is contested read the judgments construing it.
The tables on this page cover the provisions advocates search most often. The complete mapping across all three pairs of codes is searchable in Lawgger, alongside 1,607 central and state Acts, with every provision linked to the judgments that interpret it. Always confirm a mapping against the bare provision before it goes into a filing.
Where a provision has been carried forward in substance, judgments interpreting the old provision remain relevant and are being cited under the new numbering. Where the language has changed, the authority has to be read against the new text. The practical difficulty is that decades of authority carry the old numbers while your filing carries the new one.
1.28 crore-plus case-to-section links across 1,607 central and state Acts, every authority pin-cited and carrying its good-law verdict. A 14-day free trial of the full product, no card required.