BNS Reference / Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
Reference library

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

BNS offence reference

Search sections and compare offence classifications.

Examples:

All offences

1 entries · In section order

Offences, punishments, bail status, arrest classifications and trial courts. Select a section to read every entry under that section.
SectionOffencePunishmentBail statusArrest classificationTrial court
Section 296

Obscene acts and songs.
Imprisonment for 3 months, or fine of 1,000 rupees, or both.
Bailable
Cognizable
Any Magistrate.
All 1 entries shownBack to top ↑
Back to results

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Section 296

Chapter 15 · Health & safety1 classification entry

Section 296

Obscene acts and songs.

Punishment

Imprisonment for 3 months, or fine of 1,000 rupees, or both.

Section 296 classifications
ClassificationDetails
Bail statusBailable
Arrest classificationCognizable
Trial courtAny Magistrate.

These are summaries from the original central schedule. Read the full provision for its conditions and exceptions.

BNS Reference

Original central BNSS First Schedule. Classification summaries, not the full statutory text. Later amendments and state variations are not consolidated here.

BNS Reference
Chapters

Browse BNS chapters

How to read an entry

Offence & punishment

The offence summary and punishment listed in the schedule. Read any conditions or alternative entries under the same section.

Bail status

Shows whether the schedule lists the offence as bailable, non-bailable, or dependent on another offence.

Arrest classification

The legal term is cognizability. “Cognizable” means a police officer may arrest without warrant. “Non-cognizable” means a police officer shall not arrest without warrant. Conditions are shown in full.

Trial court

The court specified in the schedule. “Magistrate of the first class” and “any Magistrate” exclude Executive Magistrates.

Coverage

465 BNS classification entries across 288 sections, plus three general classification bands for offences under other laws.

What is included

The original central BNSS First Schedule: offence summaries, punishment summaries, cognizability, bailability and trial courts. This is not the full BNS text or a case-law collection. Later amendments, commencement changes and state variations are not consolidated here.

Read each condition

Different entries under the same section may have different classifications. A status may depend on the offence, the complainant or another condition. The full wording appears with each entry.

Search and save

Enter a section, an offence or punishment. Separate several sections with commas, such as 103, 105. Use Filters for chapter, bail status, arrest classification or court. Saved entries stay in this browser on this device.

Official schedule Full BNS text

Copy Markdown