Arman Nasir, B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), Aligarh Muslim University ABSTRACT The enactment of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), which officially commenced on July 1, 2024, marked the formal retirement of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC), a colonial-era statute that dictated India’s substantive criminal law for over 160 years. Framed by the Indian Parliament as a monumental step toward the decolonization of the criminal justice system, the BNS introduces new offenses, reclassifies existing...