BNS sections 147–188 cover offences against the State, the armed forces, elections, and coin, stamps and currency. This is the block where the BNS’s political and fiscal sovereignty rules sit—and where the IPC’s sedition section 124A does not reappear under that name.
Waging war and related State offences
Provisions on waging war against the Government of India, conspiracy to wage war, collecting arms for that purpose, and concealment of design to wage war continue the IPC 121–123 lineage under new numbers. These remain among the most serious offences in the general code, with death or life imprisonment available on the principal war-waging section as restated.
Section 152 and the sedition transition
IPC section 124A (sedition) is omitted as such. BNS section 152 punishes acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India—exciting secession, armed rebellion, or subversive activities, as particularised in the section. Public debate often treats section 152 as a “successor” to sedition; doctrinally it is a new text with its own elements. Pre-2024 sedition case law (Kedar Nath and later restriction lines) cannot be pasted onto section 152 without fresh statutory analysis.
Armed forces, elections and public justice toward the State
Offences relating to the Army, Navy and Air Force (incitement to mutiny, desertion aid, and related wrongs) are renumbered from the IPC’s forces chapters. Election offences—bribery, undue influence, personation—continue as electoral purity rules inside the penal code, parallel to the Representation of the People Act.
Currency, coin and stamps
Counterfeiting and related currency offences are consolidated. Multiple IPC sections on coin and government stamps were collapsed into fewer BNS sections (commentaries often note the merger of several counterfeiting provisions into a tighter cluster around BNS mid-180s numbering). For economic-offence units, the map from IPC 230–263A and 489A–489E families into BNS 147–188 must be done section by section; do not assume old 489A labels survive.
Charging sovereignty offences after 1 July 2024
- Do not cite 124A for post-commencement conduct.
- Test section 152’s elements against the speech or act alleged.
- For war-against-Government facts, use the war cluster, not section 152 by default.
- Currency cases need the new consolidated numbers on the seizure memo and charge.
Selected provisions
BNS section 152 (IPC 124A)
Act endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. Redesigned vs sedition: secession/armed rebellion/subversive acts; electronic & financial means.
BNS section 153 (IPC 125)
Waging war against Government of any foreign State at peace with Government of India. Removed “Asiatic Power” restriction; applies to any foreign state at peace.
BNS section 154 (IPC 126)
Committing depredation on territories of foreign State at peace with Government of…. Removed “Power in alliance” restriction; applies to any foreign state at peace.
BNS section 163 (IPC 135)
Abetment of desertion of soldier, sailor or airman. In punishment or elements.
BNS section 164 (IPC 136)
Harbouring deserter. Exception expanded to include spouse of the deserter, not just wife.
BNS section 165 (IPC 137)
Deserter concealed on board merchant vessel through negligence of master. Penalty increased from five hundred to three thousand rupees.
Section-level changes
Material differences (definition, punishment, scope or new offence):
| BNS | IPC counterpart | Subject | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 152 | IPC 124A | Act endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India | Redesigned vs sedition: secession/armed rebellion/subversive acts; electronic & financial means. |
| 153 | IPC 125 | Waging war against Government of any foreign State at peace with Government of I… | Removed “Asiatic Power” restriction; applies to any foreign state at peace. |
| 154 | IPC 126 | Committing depredation on territories of foreign State at peace with Government … | Removed “Power in alliance” restriction; applies to any foreign state at peace. |
| 163 | IPC 135 | Abetment of desertion of soldier, sailor or airman | In punishment or elements. |
| 164 | IPC 136 | Harbouring deserter | Exception expanded to include spouse of the deserter, not just wife. |
| 165 | IPC 137 | Deserter concealed on board merchant vessel through negligence of master | Penalty increased from five hundred to three thousand rupees. |
| 166 | IPC 138 | Abetment of act of insubordination by soldier, sailor or airman | Imprisonment term increased from six months to two years. |
| 168 | IPC 140 | Wearing garb or carrying token used by soldier, sailor or airman | Fine increased from five hundred to two thousand rupees. |
| 169 | IPC 171A | Candidate, electoral right defined | In definition. |
| 170 | IPC 171B | Bribery | In definition. |
| 171 | IPC 171C | Undue influence at elections | In substantive elements or punishment. |
| 172 | IPC 171D | Personation at elections | In substantive elements or punishment. |
| 173 | IPC 171E | Punishment for bribery | In substantive elements or punishment. |
| 174 | IPC 171F | Punishment for undue influence or personation at an election | In substantive elements or punishment. |
| 175 | IPC 171G | False statement in connection with an election | In substantive elements or punishment. |
| 176 | IPC 171H | Illegal payments in connection with an election | Fine limit increased from five hundred to ten thousand rupees. |
| 177 | IPC 171I | Failure to keep election accounts | Fine limit increased from five hundred to five thousand rupees. |
| 178 | IPC 230 | Counterfeiting coin, Government stamps, currency-notes or bank-notes | Consolidates definitions; IPC 230 was merely a definition clause, not an offence. |
| 182 | IPC 489E | Making or using documents resembling currency-notes or bank-notes | Increased fine for making/deceiving documents from Rs 100 to Rs 300; increased fine for non-disclosure from Rs 200 to Rs… |
| 183 | IPC 261 | Effacing writing from substance bearing Government stamp, or removing from docum… | In punishment or elements; renumbered only. |
| 184 | IPC 262 | Using Government stamp known to have been before used | In punishment or elements; renumbered only. |
| 185 | IPC 263 | Erasure of mark denoting that stamp has been used | In punishment or elements; renumbered only. |
| 186 | IPC 263A | Prohibition of fictitious stamps | In punishment or elements; renumbered only. |
Citation map (renumbered only)
These provisions keep IPC substance under new numbers:
BNS 147 ← IPC 121, BNS 148 ← IPC 121A, BNS 149 ← IPC 122, BNS 150 ← IPC 123, BNS 151 ← IPC 124, BNS 155 ← IPC 127, BNS 156 ← IPC 128, BNS 157 ← IPC 129, BNS 158 ← IPC 130, BNS 159 ← IPC 131, BNS 160 ← IPC 132, BNS 161 ← IPC 133, BNS 162 ← IPC 134, BNS 167 ← IPC 139, BNS 179 ← IPC 489B, BNS 180 ← IPC 489C, BNS 181 ← IPC 489D, BNS 187 ← IPC 244, BNS 188 ← IPC 245.