Punishment
Section 311 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with punishment. Whoever is a thug, shall be punished with [imprisonment for life], and shall also be liable to fine. 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 Repealed by section 358 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and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 is a thug, shall be punished with 2[imprisonment for life], and shall also be liable to fine.
Of the causing of miscarriage, of injuries to unborn children, of the exposure of infants, and of the concealment of births.
Section 311, The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860).
Now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
No provision of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita is textually close to this one. No close match found
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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.
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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Kiran Multanmal Jain vs The State of Maharashtra
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Where the main accused in a theft case makes a disclosure statement implicating a third party as the recipient of stolen goods, and the accused reiterates this statement during recovery proceedings, and the third party does not cooperate with police during investigation, the trial court has sufficient grounds to frame charges against the third party under Sections 454, 457, 380, and 311 IPC, even if no stolen goods are recovered from the third party's premises. The High Court will not interfere with such an order under Article 227 of the Constitution in the exercise of its limited jurisdiction.
On this section: Charge of theft by person in possession of stolen property
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Bilal Miyan vs State of U.p.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
At the pre-charge stage under Section 227 CrPC, an applicant cannot be discharged if prima facie ingredients of a substantive offence (such as Section 420 IPC) appear to be present in the chargesheet. The examination of the applicability of specific sections of the IPC should be conducted by the trial court before framing charges, and charges should only be framed if the offence appears to be made out at that stage.
On this section: The court noted that while the applicant's counsel argued that no offence under Section 311 IPC is made out, this issue should be examined by the Sessions Judge before framing charges. The court did not definitively rule on the applicability of this section but left it for examination at the charge-framing stage.
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.
Questions about Section 311
What have the courts held on Section 311 of the Indian Penal Code?
Kiran Multanmal Jain vs The State of Maharashtra (10 Jan 2017) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Charge of theft by person in possession of stolen property. Another 1 judgment on this section is set out below. They run from 2017 to 2018.
How do I find court cases under Section 311 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 311, section 311 IPC, section 311 of the Indian Penal Code. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 2 reported judgments on this section are set out on this page, beginning with Kiran Multanmal Jain vs The State of Maharashtra (10 Jan 2017).
When did Section 311 of the Indian Penal Code come into force?
Section 311 of the Indian Penal Code, cited as IPC 311, 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.