Read the law here. Rely on the official text.

1. Not legal advice

Everything on Acts of India, including the text of the law, the plain-language explanations, the IPC to BNS converter and the articles, is for general information and education. It is not legal advice and does not take your facts into account. Using this website, or contacting us, does not create a lawyer and client relationship. Acts of India is not a law firm and does not recommend any lawyer.

If you need help with a legal problem, speak to a qualified advocate. If you cannot afford one, you have a right to free legal aid through the Legal Services Authorities. Our Know your rights page explains how to ask for it.

2. Where the text of the law comes from

The Central Acts and their sections are reproduced from India Code, the repository maintained by the Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. We do not rewrite the text, but it is converted into separate pages for each section, and mistakes can happen in that process: a word, a proviso, a table or a footnote may be missing or out of place.

India Code itself may also be updated after we copied a section, for example when an amendment is incorporated. So the text here may not match the latest official version. If you find a difference, the official text prevails, and we correct our copy as soon as we can.

3. Amendments, repeals and start dates

Parliament amends Acts often, and many provisions start only on a date that the Government notifies later. Rules, notifications, orders and court judgments can also change how a section applies. A section shown here may therefore be amended, substituted, repealed, stayed by a court, or not yet in force. Repealed Acts are kept for reference and are marked as repealed.

The Law in the making box on the home page shows Bills and start dates as they stood on the date it was last checked. Bills change at every stage in Parliament, so always open the linked source for the current position.

4. IPC to BNS converter

The converter maps sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, based on the correspondence tables published by the National Crime Records Bureau. A matching section is not always identical: the wording, the ingredients of an offence or the punishment may have changed, and one old section may now be split across several new ones. Read the new section in full before relying on it.

Offences committed, and proceedings started, before 1 July 2024 may still be governed by the old laws. Which law applies to a particular case is a legal question for your advocate or the court.

5. Explanations, articles and AI assistance

Pages such as Know your rights, and the articles in News and Legal Awareness, explain the law in simple words. Simplifying the law always leaves out detail and exceptions, so read the section that each explanation refers to. Some articles are prepared with the help of artificial intelligence tools and may contain errors or describe events that later changed. News articles reflect the information available on the date they were published.

6. Copies, PDFs and printouts

The Print, Share as PDF and Copy text tools create a copy of the text shown on our page, with its citation. These copies are for reading and reference only. They are not certified copies and must not be presented as the official text of the law.

7. Advertising and links to other websites

Acts of India is free to use and is supported by advertising. Ads are selected and placed automatically by Google, including ads for legal services. They are not recommendations by Acts of India, and we are not responsible for what advertisers offer. Links to other websites, such as India Code, PRS Legislative Research or the Gazette, are provided for convenience; we do not control their content.

8. Your data

You do not need an account to use this website. Saved sections are stored only in your own browser on your own device, and clearing your browser data removes them. Google services used for advertising and visitor statistics may use cookies; you can control these through your browser and your Google ad settings.

9. Limitation of liability

We take care to keep the text accurate and up to date, but we make no promise that it is complete, current or free of errors. To the extent permitted by law, Acts of India and its owner are not liable for any loss or damage that arises from using, or relying on, anything on this website. By using the website you accept this disclaimer.