Section 420 No More In New Criminal Laws, But Will The Pop Culture Slang Make A Retreat?

The eternal 420 has ceased to be a valid section from today, July 1, 2024. With the new criminal laws replacing the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act, Section 420, which was inarguably the most popular, is history. The new laws have been brought under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).

Section 420 of the IPC was introduced in the British-era in 1860. It dealt with cheating, forgery, fraud and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.

Over the years, 420 became a slang, a part of everyday conversation, a term used to address anyone who would cheat, on any scale big or small. From a thief carrying out a crime to a kid cheating in a game of hide and seek, 420 has been an imminent part of pop culture.

Beisdes being part of routine conversaions, 420 also became eternal with films like Shree 420 in 1955 and Chachi 420 in 1997. In both the films, the protagonists (Raj Kapoor and Kamal Haasn respectively) were seen “cheating” people by assuming different identities.

What Replaces 420?

Section 420 of the IPC has now been replaced by Section 318 of the BNS. Section 318 entails punishment for cheating and deceit with a maximum of seven years of imprisonment or fine.

Similary, Section 319 also covers cheating by personation. A person cheating by pretending to be someone else will be punished under Section 319 of the BNS. So Chachi 420 would become Chachi 319 and Shree 420 would become Shree 318.

What Will Happen to Cases Under 420?

Cases that were filed under Section 420 of the IPC before July 1, 2024, will continue to be tried under the same section till there’s a clear verdict in the case. Section 318 of the BNS will be applied on cases being filed from July 1.

Social Media Bids Farewell to 420

In 2023, when the new criminal laws were being debated upon in Parliament, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani had said, “I have been in practice for 42 years. Although the old must give way to the new, there are some parts of it we will miss, sir. Section 420 is imprinted in our minds.” “Sometimes, we were admonished by our parents, who said ‘charsaubeesi maat karo’. We will miss that,” he had said.

“IPC section 420 is BNS 318. RIP Sec 420,” a user posted on X (previously Twitter). “Still the idiomatic use of 420 will live on,” another user wrote.

“420 is No More after 164 Years. Section 420, which became so common in everyday talks, slangs and dialogues of bollywood movies and day-to-day talks is no more with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) replacing IPC. It’s Section 318 from Now,” wrote another user.

While 420 was a criminal law section, it became a phenomenon. Section 318 and 319 bear the pressure of replacing this pop culture slang. Whether Chachi 420 becomes Chachi 319 is something we’ll have to wait and watch.