Legal Reference
Plain-English meanings of Indian legal terms and abbreviations, the Acts and sections behind them, and how the new criminal laws relate to the old ones.
Popular legal terms
- BNS: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023The BNS is India's main criminal law. It lists offences such as murder, theft and cheating and sets their punishments. It replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for offences committed on or after 1 July 2024.
- FIR: First Information ReportAn FIR is the written record the police make when they receive information about a cognizable offence (a serious offence for which police can generally act without a magistrate's order). It starts the police investigation.
- IPC: Indian Penal Code, 1860The IPC was India's criminal code from 1860. It has been repealed and replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), but it can still apply to offences committed before the BNS took effect.
- BNSS: Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023The BNSS sets out the procedure for criminal cases: how an FIR is recorded, how police investigate, how arrest and bail work, and how trials and appeals run. It replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
- CrPC: Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973The CrPC was the law of criminal procedure from 1973. It has been repealed and replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), though it can still matter for older proceedings.
- BSA: Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023The BSA is the law of evidence: it decides what a court may accept as proof and how. It expressly covers electronic records. It replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
- BailBail is the temporary release of a person accused of an offence, on conditions such as giving a bond and appearing in court when required, while the case is still pending.
- Anticipatory bailAnticipatory bail is bail asked for in advance by a person who fears arrest for a non-bailable offence. If granted, the person is released on bail if arrested.
Acts and sections
Old vs new criminal laws
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam replaced the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act. We show a section mapping only once it has been verified against a source.
See the comparison →Recently reviewed
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- Cognizable offence25 Oct 2026
- Indian Police Service25 Oct 2026
- Public Interest Litigation25 Oct 2026
- First Information Report25 Oct 2026
Common questions
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LawMitran is not a law firm. This reference is educational information, and using it does not create an advocate–client relationship. Statutory text is available from the official source linked on each page; where the two differ, the official text prevails. Find a verified lawyer for advice on your situation.