BNS §60
Concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment
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Comparison
120. Concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment.—Whoever, intending to facilitate or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby facilitate the commission of an offence punishable with imprisonment, voluntarily conceals, by any act or illegal omission, the existence of a design to commit such offence, or makes any representation which he knows to be false respecting such design, if offence be committed; if offence be not committed.—shall, if the offence be committed, be punished with imprisonment of the description provided for the offence, for a term which may extend to one-fourth, and, if the offence be not committed, to one-eight, of the longest term of such imprisonment, or with such fine as is provided for the offence, or with both. 3[CHAPTER VA CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY
Whoever, intending to facilitate or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby facilitate the commission of an offence punishable with imprisonment, voluntarily conceals, by any act or illegal omission, the existence of a design to commit such offence, or makes any representation which he knows to be false respecting such design shall,—
(a) if the offence be committed, be punished with imprisonment of the description provided for the offence, for a term which may extend to one-fourth; and
(b) if the offence be not committed, to one-eighth,
of the longest term of such imprisonment, or with such fine as is provided for the offence, or with both.
What changedAI-inferred
IPC 120 and BNS 60 carry the same rule character-identically — concealing the design to commit an imprisonment-eligible offence: one-fourth of longest term if committed, one-eighth if not committed. Note: unlike BNS 58 and 59 (which extend the IPC 118/119 concealment-means list to include encryption tools), BNS 60 retains only any act or illegal omission as the means of concealment. The encryption-clause addition is targeted at the more serious offence categories, not at the lesser-imprisonment variant.
Old position
IPC 120 is concerned with Concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment. if offence be committed; if offence be not committed. 4. Concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment
New position
BNS 60 preserves the framework with drafting modernisations as required by the new code. Topic: Concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment. Whoever, intending to facilitate or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby facilitate the commission of an offence punishable with imprisonment, voluntarily conceals, by any act or illegal omission, the existence of a design to
IPC 120 and BNS 60 carry the same rule character-identically — concealing the design to commit an imprisonment-eligible offence: one-fourth of longest term if committed, one-eighth if not committed. Note: unlike BNS 58 and 59 (which extend the IPC 118/119 concealment-means list to include...
Editorial deltaAI-indicated (source-linked)
IPC 120 and BNS 60 carry the same rule character-identically — concealing the design to commit an imprisonment-eligible offence: one-fourth of longest term if committed, one-eighth if not committed. Note: unlike BNS 58 and 59 (which extend the IPC 118/119 concealment-means list to include encryption tools), BNS 60 retains only any act or illegal omission as the means of concealment. The encryption-clause addition is targeted at the more serious offence categories, not at the lesser-imprisonment variant.
Transitional note (repeal & savings)
For matters initiated before 1 July 2024, IPC 120 continues to apply. For matters from that date forward, BNS 60 applies. The transition is governed by the repeal-and-savings clause in the new code (BNS 358 / BNSS 531 / BSA 170 as the case may be); pending proceedings under the old code carry forward unaffected.
Frequently asked
BNS 60 (Concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment). The relationship is classified as substantively_same — see the change-note above for the textual delta.
Sources
- India Code — Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Gazette of India — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
Cite this page
Newlaws.in, IPC §120 → BNS §60 Mapping Page, last updated 2026-05-01, accessed 2026-06-14, https://newlaws.in/bns/60.
Compiled using AI-assisted tools · Source-linked · Last updated 2026-05-01
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