320. Whoever dishonestly or fraudulently removes, conceals or delivers to any person, or transfers or causes to be transferred to any person, without adequate consideration, any property, intending thereby to prevent, or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby prevent, the distribution of that property according to law among his creditors or the creditors of any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
IPC Section 421 in BNS: Section 320
Dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property to prevent distribution among creditors
Section 421 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property to prevent distribution among creditors) corresponds to Section 320 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in force from 1 July 2024. Under the BNSS First Schedule, BNS 320 is non-cognizable, bailable, triable by Any Magistrate; punishment: Imprisonment of not be less than 6 months but which may extend to 2 years, or fine, or both.
Bail, cognizability and punishment
| Section | Offence | Punishment | Cognizable | Bailable | Triable by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320 | Fraudulent removal or concealment of property, etc., to prevent distribution among creditors. | Imprisonment of not be less than 6 months but which may extend to 2 years, or fine, or both. | Non-cognizable | Bailable | Any Magistrate |
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 320
Full BNS Section 320 and every IPC section it replaced →
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