most important sections of the Indian Penal Code [IPC]

Important Sections of IPC

Section 1 – Title and extent of operation of the Code.
 Section 2 – Punishment of offences committed within India.
 Section 3 – Punishment of offences committed beyond but which by law may be tried within India.
 Section 4 – Extension of Code to extra-territorial offences.
 Section 8 – Gender.
 Section 11 – Person.

Section 19 to 26 – “Judge”, “Court of Justice”, “Public Servant”, “Movable property”, “Wrongful gain”, “Wrongful loss”, “Gaining wrongfully, losing wrongfully”, “Dishonestly”, “Fraudulently”, “Reason to believe”.
 Section 34 – Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.
 Section 35 – When such an act is criminal by reason of its being done with a criminal knowledge or intention.
 Section 36 – Effect caused partly by act and partly by omission.
 Section 37 – Co-operation by doing one of several acts constituting an offence.
 Section 38 – Persons concerned in criminal act may be guilty of different offences.
 Section 39 – “Voluntarily”.
 Section 40 – “Offence”.

Section 52 – “Good faith”.
 Section 52A – “Harbour”.
 Section 53 – Punishment.
 Section 73 – Solitary confinement.
 Section 74 – Limit of solitary confinement.

Section 76 to 106 – CHAPTER IV (76-106) – General Exceptions
 Section 107 to 120 – CHAPTER V (107-120) – Abetment
 Section 120A – Definition of criminal conspiracy.
 Section 120B – Punishment of criminal conspiracy.
 Section 121 – Waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India.
 Section 124A – Sedition.

Section 141 – Unlawful assembly.
 Section 142 – Being member of unlawful assembly.
 Section 143 – Punishment.
 Section 144 – Joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon.
 Section 145 – Joining or continuing in unlawful assembly, knowing it has been commanded to disperse.

Section 146 – Rioting.
 Section 147 – Punishment for rioting.
 Section 148 – Rioting, armed with deadly weapon.
 Section 149 – Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object.
 Section 159 – Affray. (6 Differences between Rioting and Affray)

Section 179 – Refusing to answer public servant authorised to question.
 Section 182 – False information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person.
 Section 191 – Giving false evidence.

Section 268 – Public nuisance.
 Section 292 – Sale, etc, of obscene books, etc.
 Section 293 – Sale, etc, of obscene objects to young person.
 Section 294 – Obscene acts and songs.
 Section 295 – Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class.
 Section 295A – Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.
 Section 296 – Disturbing religious assembly.

Section 299 – Culpable homicide to Section 309 – Attempt to commit suicide.
 Section 319 – Hurt to Section 338 – Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others.
 Section 339 – Wrongful restraint.
 Section 340 – Wrongful confinement.
 Section 349 – Force.
 Section 350 – Criminal force.
 Section 351 – Assault.

Section 354 – Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty.
 Section 354A – Sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment.
 Section 354B – Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe.
 Section 354C – Voyeurism.
 Section 354D – Stalking.

Section 359 – Kidnapping.
 Section 360 – Kidnapping from India.
 Section 361 – Kidnapping from lawful guardianship.
 Section 362 – Abduction.

Section 375 – Rape.
 Section 376 – Punishment for rape.
 Section 376D – Gang rape.
 Section 376DA – Punishment for gang rape on woman under sixteen years of age.
 Section 376DB – Punishment for gang rape on woman under twelve years of age.
 Section 376E – Punishment for repeat offenders.
 Section 377 – Unnatural offences.

Section 378 – Theft.
 Section 383 – Extortion.
 Section 390 – Robbery.
 Section 391 – Dacoity.
 Section 396 – Dacoity with murder.
 Section 399 – Making preparation to commit dacoity.

Section 403 – Dishonest misappropriation of property.
 Section 405 – Criminal breach of trust.
 Section 410 – Stolen Property.
 Section 413 – Habitually dealing in stolen property.
 Section 414 – Assisting in concealment of stolen property.
 Section 415 – Cheating.
 Section 420 – Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
 Section 425 – Mischief.

Section 441 – Criminal Trespass to Section 446 – House-breaking by night.
 Section 493 – Cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage.
 Section 494 – Marrying again during lifetime of husband or wife.
 Section 495 – Same offence with concealment of former marriage from person with whom subsequent marriage is contracted.
 Section 496 – Marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage.
 Section 497 – Adultery.
 Section 498 – Enticing or taking away or detaining with criminal intent a married woman.
 Section 498A – Cruelty by husband or relatives of husband.

Section 499 – Defamation.
 Section 503 – Criminal intimidation.
 Section 506 – Punishment for criminal intimidation.
 Section 509 – Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.
 Section 511 – Attempts to commit offences.

These were the most important sections of the Indian Penal Code.