Indian Penal Code, 1860
Last updated: June 2024 · Verified: April 2026
Current legal status: Replaced
This law has been replaced by Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Effective from 1 July 2024.
Legacy criminal law
The IPC mainly applies to offences committed before 1 July 2024. For offences after that date, refer to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, subject to transition rules and official notifications.
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The IPC was India's principal substantive criminal code for more than 160 years.
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It defined offences such as theft, cheating, hurt, criminal breach of trust, defamation and murder.
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It continued to govern offences committed when it was in force, even after later replacement for future operation.
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It worked together with the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act in the classic criminal-law framework.
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For new criminal-law design, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 has replaced the IPC from 1 July 2024.
Level-Based Learning
Choose your depthSimple Explanation
The IPC was the main book that listed what counts as a crime and what punishment can follow. If someone stole, cheated, assaulted or threatened another person, the police and courts usually started by looking at IPC sections.
Why This Law Exists
India needed a clear and uniform criminal code to avoid uncertainty, regional variation and arbitrary punishment.
Real-Life Example
If someone steals a phone from a shop, police traditionally examine theft provisions under the IPC while also following criminal procedure under the CrPC.
Real-World Impact
For Citizens
What this means for you
Helped citizens understand what conduct the criminal law prohibited.
Created a common language for police complaints and criminal trials.
Still matters in older cases and educational understanding of criminal law.
For Businesses & Startups
Compliance & opportunities
Businesses rely on IPC concepts in fraud, breach of trust, forgery, misappropriation and employee misconduct cases.
Corporate compliance and investigations often still refer to IPC-era precedents.
Timeline / Change Tracker
Law Commission begins codification
Macaulay's Law Commission works on penal codification.
IPC enacted
The Indian Penal Code is enacted.
Continues after Independence
The IPC remains India's core criminal code after Independence.
Works with modern CrPC
The CrPC 1973 becomes the procedural companion to the IPC.
Replacement enacted
Parliament enacts the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Prospective replacement takes effect
From 1 July 2024, BNS replaces the IPC for future operation.
