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Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Section 70, BNS: Gang rape

Pundora · Published 3 October 2026

Section 70 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in the Act's own words, with the IPC provision it replaces.

What it replaces

BNS provisionIPC provisionRelation
Section 70(1)Section 376Dcorresponds
Section 70(2)Section 376DBcorresponds

From the Bureau of Police Research and Development's official comparison summary (source below). The whole table: IPC to BNS.

The section

70. Gang rape.

(1) Where a woman is raped by one or more persons constituting a group or acting in furtherance of a common intention, each of those persons shall be deemed to have committed the offence of rape and shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than twenty years, but which may extend to imprisonment for life which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of that person's natural life, and with fine: Provided that such fine shall be just and reasonable to meet the medical expenses and rehabilitation of the victim: Provided further that any fine imposed under this sub-section shall be paid to the victim. (2) Where a woman under eighteen years of age is raped by one or more persons constituting a group or acting in furtherance of a common intention, each of those persons shall be deemed to have committed the offence of rape and shall be punished with imprisonment for life, which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of that person's natural life, and with fine, or with death: Provided that such fine shall be just and reasonable to meet the medical expenses and rehabilitation of the victim: Provided further that any fine imposed under this sub-section shall be paid to the victim.

The text is India Code's consolidated text as loaded into Pundora's statute corpus on 1 September 2026. A section quoted in a draft checked by Pundora is checked against this text.

Sources

  1. India Code: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, section 70 (read 1 September 2026)
  2. Bureau of Police Research and Development: comparison summary, BNS to IPC (read 1 September 2026)

The Act's own words, from India Code. If the text here differs from the Gazette, the Gazette governs; write to contact@pundora.in and it will be corrected and dated.