BNS, BNSS, BSA vs IPC, CrPC, Evidence Act: The Map Students Keep Searching

The new criminal laws are not “IPC with new numbers”. ChatGPT still emits IPC 302, CrPC 438 and Evidence Act 27 as if 1 July 2024 never happened. If you file that in 2026, you look unprepared — and the model will not save you.

The three statutes, in one line each

• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) replaces the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) replaces the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
• Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA) replaces the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.

Traps AI (and tired juniors) still walk into

• Murder / culpable homicide: do not paste “IPC 302” into a 2026 charge. Open BNS and cite the live section.
• Anticipatory bail: the old CrPC 438 muscle-memory does not travel cleanly. Use the BNSS provision you actually opened.
• Confessions and discovery: Evidence Act 27 language is not a free substitute for BSA. Check the live text.
• Electronic evidence: BSA changed the conversation. Do not recycle a 2019 template.

How to prompt without the old codes

Put this in every criminal prompt: “Era: BNS / BNSS / BSA. Do not cite IPC, CrPC or the Indian Evidence Act unless I am asking for a historical map. Every section you name must be labelled [VERIFY].” Then you open the bare act. The map is a starting point, not a filing.

AI Vakeel maps the new laws through every research and drafting day, with 10 BNS/BNSS starter prompts. The NCL Notes pack is the desk cheatsheet. Start with the crash course if you want the method, not just a table.