61. (1) When two or more persons agree with the common object to do, or cause to be done— (a) an illegal act; or (b) an act which is not illegal by illegal means, such an agreement is designated a criminal conspiracy: Provided that no agreement except an agreement to commit an offence shall amount to a criminal conspiracy unless some act besides the agreement is done by one or more parties to such agreement in pursuance thereof. Explanation.—It is immaterial whether the illegal act is the ultimate object of such agreement, or is merely incidental to that object. (2) Whoever is a party to a criminal conspiracy,— (a) to commit an offence punishable with death, imprisonment for life or rigorous imprisonment for a term of two years or upwards, shall, where no express provision is made in this Sanhita for the punishment of such a conspiracy, be punished in the same manner as if he had abetted such offence; (b) other than a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence punishable as aforesaid shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding six months, or with fine or with both.
IPC Section 120B in BNS: Section 61(2)
Punishment of criminal conspiracy
Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) corresponds to Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in force from 1 July 2024. Under the BNSS First Schedule, BNS 61(2)(a) is according as the offence which is the object of conspiracy is cognizable or non-cognizable, according as offence which is object of conspiracy is bailable or non-bailable, triable by Court by which abetment of the offence which is the object of conspiracy is triable; punishment: Same as for abetment of the offence which is the object of the conspiracy.
Bail, cognizability and punishment
| Section | Offence | Punishment | Cognizable | Bailable | Triable by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61(2)(a) | Criminal conspiracy to commit an offence punishable with death, imprisonment for life or rigorous imprisonment for a term of 2 years or upwards. | Same as for abetment of the offence which is the object of the conspiracy. | According as the offence which is the object of conspiracy is cognizable or non-cognizable | According as offence which is object of conspiracy is bailable or non-bailable. | Court by which abetment of the offence which is the object of conspiracy is triable |
| 61(2)(1) | Any other criminal conspiracy. | Imprisonment for 6 months, or fine, or both. | Non-cognizable | Bailable | Magistrate of the first class |
Source: BNSS, 2023, First Schedule, Part I.
The BNS applies to offences committed on or after 1 July 2024. Offences committed earlier are charged and tried under the IPC.
Text of BNS Section 61(2)
Full BNS Section 61 and every IPC section it replaced →
Other IPC sections now in BNS 61
- IPC 120A: Definition of criminal conspiracy → BNS 61
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