"Dishonestly"
Section 24 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with "Dishonestly". Whoever does anything with the intention of causing wrongful gain to one person or wrongful loss to another person, is said to do that thing "dishonestly". The Act came into force on 01 Jan 1862. Repealed by section 358 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under it.
Whoever does anything with the intention of causing wrongful gain to one person or wrongful loss to another person, is said to do that thing "dishonestly".
Section 24, The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860).
Now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
BNS 2 Definitions Close, with changes 64%
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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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B. Suresh Yadav vs Sharifa Bee
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
For the offense of cheating under Section 415 IPC to be established in the context of property transactions, the complainant must demonstrate fraudulent or dishonest intention on the part of the accused at the time of making the promise or executing the transaction. Mere concealment of facts after the transaction or inconsistency between a party's stand in a civil suit and subsequent criminal complaint is strong evidence that no fraudulent intent existed at inception. When a dispute is essentially civil in nature and is already pending adjudication by a competent civil court, and when the complainant's own contemporaneous statements in that civil suit are inconsistent with later criminal allegations, the criminal complaint should be quashed as an abuse of process under Section 482 CrPC.
On this section: Applied the definition of 'dishonestly' which requires an intention of causing wrongful gain to one person or wrongful loss to another, to interpret Section 415.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… that "transmit" means to electronically send a visual image with the intent that it be viewed by a person or persons. <sup>548</sup>Section 25, Indian Penal Code states: ""Fraudulently".—A person is said to do a thing fraudulently if he does that thing with intent to defraud but not otherwise" <sup>549</sup>Section 24, Indian Penal Code states: ""Dishonestly"- Whoever does anything with the intention of causing wrongful gain to one person or wrongful loss to another person, is said to do that thing "dishonestly" "Capture", with respect to an image, has been defined to mean videotaping, photographing, filming or recording by …
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… that "transmit" means to electronically send a visual image with the intent that it be viewed by a person or persons. <sup>548</sup>Section 25, Indian Penal Code states: ""Fraudulently".—A person is said to do a thing fraudulently if he does that thing with intent to defraud but not otherwise" <sup>549</sup>Section 24, Indian Penal Code states: ""Dishonestly"- Whoever does anything with the intention of causing wrongful gain to one person or wrongful loss to another person, is said to do that thing "dishonestly" "Capture", with respect to an image, has been defined to mean videotaping, photographing, filming or recording by …
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… that "transmit" means to electronically send a visual image with the intent that it be viewed by a person or persons. <sup>548</sup>Section 25, Indian Penal Code states: ""Fraudulently".—A person is said to do a thing fraudulently if he does that thing with intent to defraud but not otherwise" <sup>549</sup>Section 24, Indian Penal Code states: ""Dishonestly"- Whoever does anything with the intention of causing wrongful gain to one person or wrongful loss to another person, is said to do that thing "dishonestly" "Capture", with respect to an image, has been defined to mean videotaping, photographing, filming or recording by …
Questions about Section 24
What have the courts held on Section 24 of the Indian Penal Code?
B. Suresh Yadav vs Sharifa Bee (12 Oct 2007) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Applied the definition of 'dishonestly' which requires an intention of causing wrongful gain to one person or wrongful loss to another, to interpret Section 415.
How do I find court cases under Section 24 of the Indian Penal Code?
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: IPC 24, section 24 IPC, section 24 of the Indian Penal Code. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with B. Suresh Yadav vs Sharifa Bee (12 Oct 2007).
What should I read with Section 24 of the Indian Penal Code, and has it changed?
3 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BNS 2 (Definitions), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.
When did Section 24 of the Indian Penal Code come into force?
Section 24 of the Indian Penal Code, cited as IPC 24, came into force on 01 Jan 1862, having been enacted on 06 Oct 1860. It is no longer in force.
Other sections of this Act
- 499. Defamation1512 words
- 464. Making a false document1223 words
- 300. Murder1172 words
- 378. Theft980 words
- 108. Abettor745 words
- 403. Dishonest misappropriation of property727 words
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. Recovered from the consolidated text published by India Code (item 7b7d4fe6-206b-4e33-81f1-b98b018acaf6). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.