What Replaced Sedition: BNS Section 152 (Acts Endangering Sovereignty, Unity and Integrity) (2026)

Explainer · BNS · New Criminal Code

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

The old offence of sedition, Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), was not carried into the new code. In its place, Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) punishes acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, such as exciting secession, armed rebellion or subversive activities. The punishment is imprisonment for life, or up to seven years, and fine. Last verified October 2026.

01What Section 152 of the BNS covers

Section 152 of the BNS is the provision that stands where sedition once stood, but it is written differently. It punishes a person who, purposely or knowingly, by words, signs, visible representation, electronic communication, use of financial means or otherwise:

• excites or attempts to excite secession, armed rebellion or subversive activities; or
• encourages feelings of separatist activities; or
• endangers, or attempts to endanger, the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.

The section carries an explanation. Comments that express disapproval of the measures or actions of the Government, with a view to getting them changed by lawful means, do not amount to an offence under the section. This protects lawful criticism.

Because the terms "subversive activities" and "endanger sovereignty, unity and integrity" are broad, how courts read the section will matter a great deal in practice.

02Is sedition still a crime in India?

The short answer is that the offence called "sedition", Section 124A of the IPC, was not re-enacted in the BNS. The word for sedition, rajdroh, was dropped. In that narrow sense, the old sedition offence is gone.

But Section 152 of the BNS covers related ground. It does not punish "disaffection" towards the Government, which was the heart of sedition. It punishes acts that endanger the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, which is a different target. So it is accurate to say that sedition as it stood is not in the new code, and that a new, differently framed offence has taken its place.

03Punishment and classification

Section 152 carries a heavy punishment, with a range the court can choose within.

• Imprisonment for life, and the person is also liable to fine; or
• imprisonment up to seven years, and the person is also liable to fine.

The offence is serious. It is cognizable, so the police can register a first information report and investigate, and it is non-bailable, so bail is decided by the court. It is generally triable by a Court of Session.

Sedition as it stood, Section 124A of the IPC, was not carried into the new code. Section 152 of the BNS puts a different offence in its place, aimed at acts that endanger the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.

04What changed from the old law

This is one of the bigger changes in the new code, so it is worth being precise.

• Sedition was not re-enacted. There is no offence called sedition in the BNS, and the word rajdroh is gone.
• A new offence took its place. Section 152 targets acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, not disaffection towards the Government.
• Financial means and electronic communication are named as ways the offence can be committed.
• The mental element is framed as "purposely or knowingly".

Because the framing is different, the large body of case law on sedition under Section 124A does not map directly onto Section 152, although some of it may still inform how courts read the new section. Cite Section 152 of the BNS for an act on or after 1 July 2024.

For whether older sedition matters continue, see whether old IPC and CrPC cases continue. For the wider reform, see the new criminal laws of 2024.

05Where 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.

Cases under Section 152 are closely watched, and the law around it is still settling. An advocate needs to see how courts are reading the new section, and how the old Section 124A was applied, and to keep track of a live matter. Claw lets you search and track cases, orders and judgments by section, party or advocate across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, with 30 crore and more judgments and results in under 5 seconds. You can pull up how courts have treated Section 152 and the old sedition offence, and follow a pending matter with automatic updates, cause lists and alerts.

Claw does not file your case or give legal advice, and Claw does not use customer case documents to train AI models. Create a FREE Claw account to search and track cases under this section by party or advocate name.

This explainer is general information, not legal advice.

06Sources and further reading

• India Code (official text of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023): indiacode.nic.in
• Ministry of Home Affairs (new criminal laws): mha.gov.in
• Section 152 BNS, bare text reference: devgan.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

Always read the section as it stands on the day you act, and take advice from counsel. The law changes through amendments and judgments.

07Frequently asked questions