The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam replaced the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act with effect from 1 July 2024. Two years on, the section numbering is settled and the substance is largely carried forward, but interpretation of several new provisions is still developing and High Courts have not always agreed. The most practical risk to an ordinary person is not the law itself — it is relying on guidance written before the changeover without noticing.
The transition is old enough now that the initial confusion has passed, and recent enough that a great deal of what you will find online was written for the previous statutes. On 1 July 2026 the new codes turned two. This is a plain account of where things stand.
The renumbering that catches people out
Offences most people know by their old number now sit elsewhere. The substance is broadly preserved; the citation is not.
| Commonly known as | Now | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Section 498A IPC — cruelty by husband or relatives | Sections 85 and 86, BNS | Split across two provisions; 86 defines cruelty |
| Section 438 CrPC — anticipatory bail | Section 482, BNSS | Not to be confused with the old Section 482 CrPC |
| Section 482 CrPC — inherent powers, quashing | Section 528, BNSS | The provision behind quashing petitions in the High Court |
| Section 125 CrPC — maintenance | Section 144, BNSS | Still the main maintenance remedy |
| Section 41A CrPC — notice to appear | Section 35, BNSS | The notice police issue instead of arresting |
| Section 167(2) CrPC — default bail | Section 187, BNSS | Timelines here reward precision |
What is genuinely settled
- The numbering itself. Correspondence, notices and petitions dated after 1 July 2024 should cite the new provisions.
- That the pre-existing case law on carried-forward provisions continues to guide interpretation, since the underlying principles were largely preserved.
- That offences committed before 1 July 2024 continue to be tried under the old statutes. The changeover is not retrospective, so matters begun earlier still run on the IPC and CrPC — which is why both sets of numbers remain in daily use in the courts.
What is still moving
Two years is not long for a criminal code. Several provisions have not yet received authoritative interpretation from the Supreme Court, and High Courts have reached differing conclusions on some questions — particularly on how the new procedural provisions interact with the bars and special procedures in other statutes.
What this means for you practically: an outcome in one High Court is not a guarantee elsewhere, and on unsettled points the honest advice is a range rather than a prediction. Any advocate offering certainty on a question the courts have not yet resolved is telling you something about themselves rather than about your case.
What actually changed for someone facing a matter in Pune
| Stage | What to know |
|---|---|
| Police notice | A notice to appear now issues under Section 35 BNSS. Attend it, with an advocate, rather than ignoring it |
| FIR | Zero FIR and electronic registration provisions were a headline feature of the new code; in practice, get a copy and note every date |
| Pre-arrest | Anticipatory bail under Section 482 BNSS, before the Sessions Court at Pune or the Bombay High Court |
| Custody and default bail | Timelines under Section 187 BNSS are strict and are where preparation pays |
| Trial | Before the Magistrate's courts or the Sessions Court at Pune, depending on the offence |
| Quashing | A petition under Section 528 BNSS to the High Court of Judicature at Bombay |
The one habit worth adopting
Date-check everything. If a page, a template or a piece of advice does not say when it was written or last reviewed, treat it as pre-2024 until proved otherwise. That single habit removes most of the risk this transition creates for an ordinary litigant.
Every substantive page on this site carries the date the law was stated as at, and cites the statute it rests on. That is not decoration — it is so you can tell what is current and check it for yourself.