BNS Section 273: Disobedience to a Quarantine Rule (IPC 271 Mapping) (2026)

Explainer · Criminal Law · BNS

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

Section 273 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) punishes a person who knowingly disobeys a quarantine rule made by the Government. The BNS is the new criminal code in force since 1 July 2024, and Section 273 replaced Section 271 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The punishment is imprisonment up to six months, or a fine, or both. If you searched "BNS section 273" expecting sale of noxious food, note that the number has shifted: that offence is now Section 275 of the BNS. This explainer sets out what Section 273 actually covers, how it maps to the old law, the punishment, and what changed. Last verified October 2026.

01Why the section number matters now

Since 1 July 2024, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS). The public health offences shifted by two places, so the numbers you remember from the IPC no longer point to the same offence.

Under the old IPC, "Section 273" meant sale of noxious food or drink. Under the BNS, Section 273 means disobedience to a quarantine rule, which was Section 271 of the IPC. Sale of noxious food now sits in Section 275 of the BNS. This offence drew attention during disease outbreaks, when movement and quarantine orders are issued, so getting the current number right matters.

02What Section 273 covers

Section 273 of the BNS punishes a person who knowingly disobeys a rule made and promulgated by the Government for one of these purposes:

• putting a vessel or mode of transport into a state of quarantine;
• regulating the contact of a quarantined vessel or mode of transport with the shore or with other vessels; or
• regulating movement between places where an infectious disease prevails and other places.

The offence protects public health by backing quarantine and movement orders with a criminal penalty. The word "knowingly" is important: the accused must know of the rule and still disobey it.

03Key ingredients

To bring a case under Section 273, the prosecution must show each of these:

• there was a rule made and promulgated by the Government for quarantine or for regulating movement during an infectious disease;
• the accused knew of the rule;
• the accused disobeyed it.

There is no need to prove that the disease actually spread. The offence is complete on knowing disobedience of a valid rule. This is why it is useful during outbreaks, when the aim is to prevent spread rather than punish it after the event.

04Old to new: IPC 271 to BNS 273

Section 271 of the IPC is now Section 273 of the BNS. The substance is carried over, with the language modernised to cover modern modes of transport, and the number moved because the public health group shifted by two.

So the old "Section 273 IPC" (sale of noxious food) is not the same as the new "Section 273 BNS". Always confirm which code applies before you cite the number.

05Punishment and classification

The punishment under Section 273 is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or a fine, or both.

On classification, the offence under Section 273 is:

• Non-cognizable: the police generally need an order of a Magistrate to investigate.
• Bailable: bail is a matter of right, subject to conditions.
• Triable by any Magistrate.

06What changed from the old law

The core of Section 273 is the same as Section 271 of the IPC. The main updates are the modern drafting, which brings modes of transport within the quarantine rules, and the new number. Case law under Section 271 of the IPC still guides how Section 273 of the BNS is read.

The real risk is the number clash with the old noxious-food offence, which sat at Section 273 of the IPC and is now Section 275 of the BNS. Map the offence by its name, not just its number. For the malignant-infection offence in the same group, see Section 272 of the BNS.

07Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

Quarantine prosecutions cluster around disease outbreaks, and they often turn on how a court has read "knowingly disobeys" or judged the validity of the underlying rule. With Claw you can search those rulings by section, party or advocate across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, from Supreme Court judgments dating back to 1950 and High Court judgments from 1990, with answers in under 5 seconds drawn from more than 30 crore judgments.

Your uploads are never used to train Claw AI models, so sensitive matters stay yours. Start a free Claw account to see how Section 273 and the old Section 271 have been enforced, or to follow a live case by party or advocate name. For a broader search of Indian law, see case search across Indian courts.

08Sources and further reading

• India Code (official text of the BNS, 2023): indiacode.nic.in
• PRS Legislative Research (BNS overview and IPC comparison): prsindia.org
• Section 273, BNS (bare text): devgan.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

This explainer is general information, not legal advice. The law changes through amendments and judgments, so check the current text and take advice from counsel before you act.

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