Section72

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Disclosure of identity of victim of certain offences, etc

Q: When did Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita come into force?

Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, cited as BNS 72, came into force on 01 Jul 2024, having been enacted on 25 Dec 2023. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

In force From 01 Jul 2024 Act 45 of 2023 As on 15 Oct 2026

Act 45 of 2023 Ministry Home Affairs Enacted 25 Dec 2023 In force 01 Jul 2024 Cited by 1 provision

Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 deals with disclosure of identity of victim of certain offences, etc. Whoever prints or publishes the name or any matter which may make known the identity of any person against whom an offence under section 64 or section 65 or section 66 or section 67 or section 68 or section 69 or section 70 or section 71 is alleged or found to have been committed (hereafter in this The Act came into force on 01 Jul 2024.

(1) Whoever prints or publishes the name or any matter which may make known the identity of any person against whom an offence under section 64 or section 65 or section 66 or section 67 or section 68 or section 69 or section 70 or section 71 is alleged or found to have been committed (hereafter in this section referred to as the victim) shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years and shall also be liable to fine.
(2) Nothing in sub-section (1) extends to any printing or publication of the name or any matter which may make known the identity of the victim if such printing or publication is—
(a) by or under the order in writing of the officer-in-charge of the police station or the police officer making the investigation into such offence acting in good faith for the purposes of such investigation; or
Section 72, The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Act 45 of 2023).

Replaces a provision of the Indian Penal Code

IPC 228A Disclosure of identity of the victim of certain offences, etc Close, with changes 77%

Measured by comparing the text of the two provisions, not taken from an official correspondence table — there is no machine-readable one. See both texts side by side before relying on it.

Both regimes are live. The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force. We never redirect one to the other.

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

This section refers to

Referred to by 1

s. 73 Printing or publishing any matter relating to Court proceedings without permission

How this offence is classified

From the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which classifies every offence under the Sanhita. Cognizable means a police officer may arrest without warrant; bailable means bail is a matter of right rather than of the court's discretion.

Offence	Punishment	Cognizable	Bailable	Triable by
Disclosure of identity of the victim of certain offences, etc.	Imprisonment for 2 years and fine.	Cognizable.	Bailable.	Any Magistrate.

The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023

Questions about Section 72

What does Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita deal with?

Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita is headed "Disclosure of identity of victim of certain offences, etc". Whoever prints or publishes the name or any matter which may make known the identity of any person against whom an offence under section 64 or section 65 or section 66 or section 67 or section 68 or section 69 or section 70 or section 71 is alleged or found to have been committed (hereafter in this

Is Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita bailable?

Bailable, under the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

Is Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita cognizable?

Cognizable. "Cognizable" means a police officer may arrest without warrant; "non-cognizable" that they may not. An offence under this section is triable by Any Magistrate.

How do I find court cases under Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: BNS 72, section 72 BNS, section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. People searching for it also type bns 72(2) and bns 72 73. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.

What should I read with Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on section 64 (Punishment for rape), section 65 (Punishment for rape in certain cases), section 66 (Punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim), section 67 (Sexual intercourse by husband upon his wife during separation), and on 4 further provisions, so none of them can safely be read on its own. 1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it. It carries forward IPC 228A (Disclosure of identity of the victim of certain offences, etc), so the judgments decided under that provision are the case law on this one.

When did Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita come into force?

Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, cited as BNS 72, came into force on 01 Jul 2024, having been enacted on 25 Dec 2023. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.