IPC §18
“India”
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Comparison
3[18. “India”.—“India” means the territory of India excluding the State of Jammu and Kashmir.]
What changedAI-inferred
BNS does not internally define India. The term is used in BNS Section 1 (within India, beyond India, citizen of India) without a Section-2 definition; the meaning is relied on through the external constitutional / General Clauses Act framework. The IPC 18 carve-out for the State of Jammu and Kashmir is not reproduced anywhere in BNS — the textual delta is observable directly from the texts.
Old position
IPC Section 18 defined India as the territory of India excluding the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The carve-out reflected the historical Article 370 status of J&K under the Constitution.
New position
BNS does not internally define India. The term is used in BNS Section 1 (within India, beyond India, citizen of India) without a Section-2 definition; the meaning is relied on through the external constitutional / General Clauses Act framework. The IPC 18 carve-out for the State of Jammu and Kashmir is not reproduced anywhere in BNS — the textual delta is observable directly from the texts.
Editorial deltaAI-indicated (source-linked)
IPC Section 18 defined India as the territory of India excluding the State of Jammu and Kashmir. BNS contains no internal definition of India — the term is used in BNS Section 1 multiple times (within India, beyond India, citizen of India) but is not redefined in BNS Section 2 or elsewhere. This is not a repeal: it is an externalisation, where the definition that IPC carried internally is now relied on through the external constitutional / General Clauses Act framework. Two structured signals carry on this edge: definition_externalised (the internal-to-external move) and scope_drift (the J&K-carve-out textual delta — observable from text alone, regardless of the Article 370 / Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 background that produced it).
Transitional note (repeal & savings)
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 reorganised the State of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories. This is constitutional / legislative restructuring outside BNS itself; the absence of the J&K carve-out in BNS is recorded here as a textual observation, not as a substantive BNS drafting decision.
Frequently asked
None. BNS does not internally define India. The term is used in BNS Section 1 without a Section-2 definition; its meaning is relied on through the constitutional and General Clauses Act framework that sits outside BNS.
Government source
The statutory text above is compiled from the Act as published by the Government of India. The links open the full Act; use the PDF's search to find the section number. The linked government pages offer no link to a single section.
Indian Penal Code, 1860 · §18
View government sourcemha.gov.in(opens the Indian Penal Code, 1860 PDF on mha.gov.in in a new tab)Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India · PDF
Newlaws.in is an independent site, not a government body. The mappings and notes on this page are its own AI-assisted comparison and are not published or endorsed by any government body.
Sources
- India Code — Indian Penal Code, 1860 (pending verification)
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — bare act PDF (Gazette of India, 25 December 2023; Act No. 45 of 2023)
- Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 (Act 34 of 2019)
Cite this page
Newlaws.in, IPC §18 Mapping Page, last updated 2026-05-01, accessed 2026-10-29, https://newlaws.in/ipc/18.
Compiled using AI-assisted tools · Source-linked · Last updated 2026-05-01
Not legal advice. Verify against the bare act and consult a qualified advocate for any specific matter.