Editing Indian Penal Code (section)

{{Short description|Erstwhile Penal code of Republic of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox legislation
| short_title    = The Indian Penal Code, 1860
| legislature    = 
| image          = Star of the Order of the Star of India (gold).svg
| imagesize      = 200
| imagelink      = 
| imagealt       = 
| caption        = 
| long_title     = An Act to provide a general penal code for India
| citation       = [https://archive.org/details/indianpenalcode00macpgoog Act No. 45 of 1860]
| territorial_extent = {{flag|India}}
| enacted_by     = [[Imperial Legislative Council]]
| date_enacted   = 6 October 1860
| date_assented  = 6 October 1860
| date_commenced = 1 January 1862
| date_repealed = 1 July 2024
| bill           = 
| bill_citation  = 
| bill_date      = 
| introduced_by  = 
| 1st_reading    = 
| 2nd_reading    = 
| 3rd_reading    = 
| white_paper    = 
| committee_report = [[Law Commission of India|First Law Commission]]
| amended_by     = ''see'' [[Indian Penal Code#Amendments|Amendments]]
| repeals        = 
| repealed_by    = [[Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita]]
| related_legislation = [[Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973]]
| summary        = 
| keywords       = 
| status         = repealed
}}

The '''Indian Penal Code''' ('''IPC''') was the official [[criminal code]] of the [[Republic of India]], inherited from [[British India]] after independence. It remained in force until it was repealed and replaced by the [[Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita|Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)]] in December 2023, which came into effect on July 1, 2024. It was a comprehensive code intended to cover all substantive aspects of [[criminal law]]. The Code was drafted on the recommendations of the first [[Law Commission of India]] established in 1834 under the [[Charter Act 1833]] under the chairmanship of [[Thomas Babington Macaulay]].<ref name="judicial book">{{cite book|title=Universal's Guide to Judicial Service Examination|publisher=Universal Law Publishing|isbn=978-93-5035-029-4|page=2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D0xQqCxpXhQC}}</ref><ref name="Book-heritage">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mzozRa9wJ9kC&q=ranbir+penal+code+maharaja+ranbir+singh&pg=PA75|title=The Literary Heritage of Kashmir|publisher=Mittal Publications|location=Jammu and Kashmir|page=75|last1=Lal Kalla|first1=Krishan|access-date=19 September 2014|year=1985}}</ref><ref name="Law Comm">{{cite web|title=Law Commission of India - Early Beginnings|url=http://www.lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/main.htm|publisher=[[Law Commission of India]]|access-date=19 September 2014}}</ref> It came into force in the subcontinent during the [[British Raj|British rule]] in 1862. However, it did not apply automatically in the [[Princely states]], which had their own courts and [[List of national legal systems|legal systems]] until the 1940s. While in force, the IPC was amended several times and was supplemented by other criminal provisions.

Despite promulgation of the BNS, litigation for all relevant offences committed before 1 July 2024 will continue to be registered under the IPC.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-01 |title=Curtains on old IPC, CrPC, Evidence law, new criminal codes come into effect from today |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/curtains-on-old-ipc-crpc-evidence-law-new-criminal-codes-come-into-effect-from-today-9425034/ |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>