BNS sections 270–302 cover public nuisance, infectious disease, food and drug adulteration, dangerous activities, rash driving, obscenity, lotteries, and offences relating to religion. They renumber and lightly modernise IPC Chapters XIV and XV.
Public health and safety
Public nuisance remains the residual public-welfare offence. Negligent and malignant acts likely to spread infection continue—COVID-era prosecutions made these sections familiar again. Adulteration of food, drink and drugs and sale of noxious substances carry updated fines (often raised from ₹1,000-class IPC figures to ₹5,000-class BNS figures in several sections).
Rash driving on a public way, rash navigation, false lights and marks, and negligent conduct with poison, fire, explosives or buildings keep their IPC structure with modern wording (“mode of transport”, construction as well as repair, and similar).
Obscenity and morals
Sale of obscene books and objects includes electronic form. Sale to a child replaces older “under twenty years” phrasing in the relevant section. Obscene acts and songs and lottery-office offences continue with adjusted fine caps.
Religion
Injuring or defiling a place of worship, deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings (including through electronic means), disturbing religious assemblies, and trespass on burial places succeed IPC 295–297. These remain intent-centric offences; the electronic-means upgrade matters for social-media fact patterns.
Interaction with special laws
Food safety, drugs and cosmetics, motor vehicles, and environmental statutes often supply the primary regulatory offence. BNS 270–302 are the general-code overlay. Smart charging picks the special law when it is more precise and uses the BNS section when the special law is silent or when both are needed for distinct harm theories.
Selected provisions
BNS section 273 (IPC 271)
Disobedience to quarantine rule. Updated “vessel” to “mode of transport” for modern applicability.
BNS section 274 (IPC 272)
Adulteration of food or drink intended for sale. Fine increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.
BNS section 275 (IPC 273)
Sale of noxious food or drink. Fine increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.
BNS section 276 (IPC 274)
Adulteration of drugs. Imprisonment increased to one year, fine raised to Rs 5,000.
BNS section 277 (IPC 275)
Sale of adulterated drugs. Fine increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.
BNS section 279 (IPC 277)
Fouling water of public spring or reservoir. Imprisonment increased from 3 months to 6 months; fine increased from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000.
Section-level changes
Material differences (definition, punishment, scope or new offence):
| BNS | IPC counterpart | Subject | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 273 | IPC 271 | Disobedience to quarantine rule | Updated “vessel” to “mode of transport” for modern applicability. |
| 274 | IPC 272 | Adulteration of food or drink intended for sale | Fine increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000. |
| 275 | IPC 273 | Sale of noxious food or drink | Fine increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000. |
| 276 | IPC 274 | Adulteration of drugs | Imprisonment increased to one year, fine raised to Rs 5,000. |
| 277 | IPC 275 | Sale of adulterated drugs | Fine increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000. |
| 279 | IPC 277 | Fouling water of public spring or reservoir | Imprisonment increased from 3 months to 6 months; fine increased from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000. |
| 280 | IPC 278 | Making atmosphere noxious to health | Fine doubled from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000; no imprisonment introduced. |
| 281 | IPC 279 | Rash driving or riding on a public way | In punishment or elements 279. |
| 283 | IPC 281 | Exhibition of false light, mark or buoy | Mandatory minimum fine of Rs 10,000 added; fine option replaced with mandatory fine. |
| 285 | IPC 283 | Danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation | Fine increased from Rs 200 to Rs 5,000; no imprisonment introduced. |
| 290 | IPC 288 | Negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildi… | Added “constructing” to scope; fine increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000. |
| 294 | IPC 292 | Sale, etc., of obscene books, etc | Added “electronic form” to definition of obscene object. |
| 295 | IPC 293 | Sale, etc., of obscene objects to child | Changed “person under twenty years” to “child”. |
| 296 | IPC 294 | Obscene acts and songs | Added specific fine limit of one thousand rupees. |
| 297 | IPC 294A | Keeping lottery office | Increased fine for publishing lottery proposals from one thousand to five thousand rupees. |
| 298 | IPC 295 | Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult religion of any clas… | In punishment or elements compared to IPC. |
| 299 | IPC 295A | Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any cla… | Added “through electronic means” to modes of insulting religion. |
| 300 | IPC 296 | Disturbing religious assembly | In punishment or elements compared to IPC. |
| 301 | IPC 297 | Trespassing on burial places, etc | In punishment or elements compared to IPC. |
Citation map (renumbered only)
These provisions keep IPC substance under new numbers:
BNS 270 ← IPC 268, BNS 271 ← IPC 269, BNS 272 ← IPC 270, BNS 278 ← IPC 276, BNS 282 ← IPC 280, BNS 284 ← IPC 282, BNS 286 ← IPC 284, BNS 287 ← IPC 285, BNS 288 ← IPC 286, BNS 289 ← IPC 287, BNS 291 ← IPC 289, BNS 292 ← IPC 290, BNS 293 ← IPC 291, BNS 302 ← IPC 298.