Indian Penal Code, 1860
IPC Section 420 in BNS
Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property. Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) corresponds to Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Verify before you rely on this. Renumbering under the 2023 codes is not a clean one-to-one exercise — provisions were merged, split and reworded. Always check the printed bare act.
Where this sits in the exam
This provision is examined under IPC & Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, worth 8 of the 100 marks in AIBE XXII. The paper permits bare acts but bans notes, so what matters is finding it quickly, not reciting the number.
Questions that turn on this section
Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property is punishable under:
Answer & explanation
Section 318(4) BNS
BNS Section 318 deals with cheating; sub-section (4) corresponds to IPC Section 420 and prescribes imprisonment up to seven years and fine.
Which of the following is NOT an ingredient of cheating under the BNS?
Answer & explanation
That the property delivered must be of a value exceeding a prescribed sum
There is no value threshold. The offence turns on deception and inducement, whatever the sum.
A hands B a cheque knowing the account is closed. B presents it and it is returned. A is prosecuted both under the Negotiable Instruments Act and for cheating under the BNS. Which is correct?
Answer & explanation
Both prosecutions may proceed, the ingredients of the two offences being distinct
Sangeetaben Mahendrabhai Patel v. State of Gujarat: § 138 turns on dishonour and notice; cheating turns on inducement at the time of delivery. Double jeopardy is not attracted.
Sections either side of it
How the neighbouring provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 were renumbered:
| IPC | Provision | BNS |
|---|---|---|
| 416 | Cheating by personation | 319(1) |
| 417 | Punishment for cheating | 318(2) |
| 419 | Punishment for cheating by personation | 319(2) |
| 421 | Dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property to prevent distribution among creditors | 320 |
| 425 | Mischief | 324(1) |
| 426 | Punishment for mischief | 324(2) |
Practise it
Cutoff has AIBE XXII questions on this area, each cited to both codes with a line telling you where to find it in the bare act. Ten questions per subject are free, no account needed.
Practise free Full IPC→BNS table