BNSS 2023
Definition
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, the statute that replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure. It introduced a mandatory forensic-scene-visit requirement for offences carrying seven or more years imprisonment.
- Total sections
- 531 sections across 39 chapters
- Effective date
- July 1, 2024
- Replaces
- Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) 1973
Common questions
What replaced the CrPC, and when did that happen?+
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023 replaced the Criminal Procedure Code of 1973 on July 1, 2024. It is the procedural criminal law that governs arrest, FIR registration, search and seizure, forensic procedures, and trial.
What are the key changes BNSS 2023 introduced for sexual offence investigations?+
BNSS 2023 tightens FIR registration rules for sexual offences, requires woman officers to record statements in these cases, and prescribes time-bound investigation timelines to accelerate the process.
Does BNSS 2023 mandate forensic scene examination?+
Yes. BNSS 2023 introduced a mandatory forensic-scene-visit requirement for offences carrying seven or more years of imprisonment, strengthening the role of forensic evidence in criminal procedure.
Related terms
- BNS 2023
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Act 45 of 2023. India's substantive criminal code with effect from 1 July 2024. Contains 358 sections in...
- BAU Sex-Crimes Model
- The Hazelwood and Burgess operational profiling model developed at the FBI Behavioural Analysis Unit, building on Groth and integrating victimology, scene behaviour...
- BSA 2023
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023: the Indian evidence statute that replaced the Indian Evidence Act 1872 on 1 July 2024; retains the section...
- CFSL
- Central Forensic Science Laboratory: a central government lab operating under DFSS. India has CFSLs at New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Pune, Guwahati,...
- Charge Sheet (Section 193)
- The police report at the close of investigation, filed within 60 or 90 days of arrest depending on the punishment band. Forensic...
- Culpable Homicide
- BNS Section 100. The genus offence; murder under Section 101 is the species when one of four enumerated conditions is met.
- DFSS
- Directorate of Forensic Science Services, India; issues the Forensic Laboratory Manual that governs glass and soil examination procedures, including the bromoform-based density...
- E-FIR
- An FIR registered electronically by a complainant; now expressly recognised under Section 173 BNSS, with a 3-day window to record the complainant's...
- GEQD
- Government Examiner of Questioned Documents: the central body for document examination with offices at Shimla and Hyderabad, examining handwriting, ink, paper, and...
- Groth Typology
- A four-category classification of rapists by motive proposed by Nicholas Groth in 1979: power-reassurance, power-assertive, anger-retaliatory, and anger-excitation (sadistic).
- Inchoate Offences
- Offences punished even though the principal harm did not occur: abetment (Sec 45-50), criminal conspiracy (Sec 61), attempt (Sec 62).
- Modus Operandi (MO)
- The functional, learned behaviours the offender uses to commit the offence: how to gain entry, control the victim, complete the act, and...
Explained in these topics
- BNSS 2023: Investigation, FIR, Search and SeizureBharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023; the procedural criminal law that replaced CrPC 1973 from 1 July 2024. 531 sections, 39 chapters.
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023: A Forensic Student's MapBharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, the procedural counterpart that replaced the CrPC 1973. Governs FIR, arrest, search, forensic visit, and trial procedu...
- The Indian Forensic Setup: CFSL, SFSL, DFSS, NICFSBharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, the statute that replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure. It introduced a mandatory forensic-scene-visit requirement f...
- Sexual Offences: Profiling ApproachThe Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, replacing the CrPC. Tightens FIR registration, mandates woman officers for statement recording in sexual offence c...