Assaulting the President or a Governor Under the BNS (Section 151): IPC 124 Mapping (2026)
What Section 151 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita covers, the punishment for assaulting the President or a Governor to compel or restrain lawful power, and how it maps to IPC Section 124. Last verified October 2026.
Explainer · New Criminal Laws · BNS
Section 151 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 punishes assaulting or wrongfully restraining the President of India or the Governor of a State, or overawing them by criminal force or the show of it, in order to compel or restrain the exercise of a lawful power. It carries imprisonment up to seven years and a fine. This section replaced Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and has applied since 1 July 2024. This explainer sets out what Section 151 covers, the exact punishment, how it is classified, and what changed from the old law. Last verified October 2026.
- What it is: BNS Section 151, assaulting or overawing the President or a Governor to compel or restrain lawful power.
- Old law: it replaced Section 124 of the IPC, in force since 1 July 2024.
- Punishment: imprisonment up to 7 years, and fine.
- Key change: mainly renumbering; the definition and sentence carry over.
01The short answer
Section 151 of the BNS protects the highest constitutional offices. It punishes anyone who assaults or wrongfully restrains the President or a Governor, or overawes them by criminal force or the show of criminal force, with intent to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power.
It replaced IPC Section 124. The focus is the purpose of the act: forcing or stopping the holder of the office from doing their lawful duty.
Section 151 of the BNS punishes assaulting or overawing the President or a Governor to compel or restrain the exercise of a lawful power, with up to seven years in prison and a fine.
02What the section covers
The offence has a defined target and a defined purpose.
The protected persons
The section names the President of India and the Governor of a State. The wrong is aimed at the office and the exercise of its lawful powers.
The act and the intent
The act can be an assault, a wrongful restraint, an attempt at either, or overawing the office holder by criminal force or the show of it. The intent must be to compel the holder to use a lawful power, or to restrain them from using it. Without that intent, the facts may amount to some other offence, but not this one.
03Punishment and classification
The punishment is set out below.
| Offence | Punishment under BNS Section 151 |
|---|---|
| Assaulting, restraining or overawing the President or a Governor to compel or restrain lawful power | Imprisonment of either description up to seven years, and fine. |
The offence is cognizable, non-bailable and triable by a Court of Session.
04IPC 124 to BNS 151: what changed
Section 151 of the BNS is the direct successor to Section 124 of the IPC. The substance is unchanged.
- Same protected persons: the President of India and the Governor of a State.
- Same acts and intent: assault, restraint, or overawing, to compel or restrain a lawful power.
- Same sentence: imprisonment up to seven years, and fine.
The real change is the renumbering. For the full map of old numbers to new, see our IPC to BNS section converter.
05Related offences against the State
Section 151 sits among the offences against the State. The ones to read alongside it include:
- The gravest of them, waging war against the Government of India under Section 147.
- The provision that replaced sedition, Section 152, which targets acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity.
06Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
Offences against the highest constitutional offices are rare, so the few rulings that read the intent to compel or restrain a lawful power, under Section 151 or the old IPC 124, are worth finding and holding on to. Claw searches a library of more than 30 crore judgments, the Supreme Court from 1950 and the High Courts from 1990, and surfaces a relevant one in under five seconds. If a matter is already before a court, Claw also watches it for you, each order and hearing across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, found by party or by advocate name. Start a free Claw account to look up and follow Section 151 matters by party or advocate name. You can also see how case search works across Indian courts. Claw does not use customer case documents to train its AI models.
07Sources and further reading
- India Code (official bare Acts): indiacode.nic.in
- Ministry of Home Affairs (new criminal laws): mha.gov.in
- Text of BNS Section 151: devgan.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This explainer is general information, not legal advice. Statute text can change through amendment and notification, so check the current section and take advice from counsel before acting.
08Frequently asked questions
What is Section 151 of the BNS?
Section 151 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 punishes assaulting, wrongfully restraining, or overawing the President of India or the Governor of a State, with intent to compel or restrain the exercise of a lawful power. It replaced Section 124 of the IPC and came into force on 1 July 2024.
What is the punishment under BNS Section 151?
Imprisonment of either description up to seven years, together with a fine.
Which IPC section does BNS 151 replace?
It replaces Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code. The protected persons, the acts covered, and the sentence are substantially the same, so the main change is the new number.
Who is protected by Section 151?
The President of India and the Governor of a State. The offence is aimed at protecting the lawful exercise of their constitutional powers.
What intent must be proved?
The act must be done with intent to compel the office holder to use a lawful power, or to restrain them from using it. That purpose is central to the offence.
Can I find cases under Section 151 or Section 124 in Claw?
Yes. Claw searches more than 30 crore judgments for rulings under Section 151 of the BNS or the old IPC 124, and follows a live matter through its orders and hearings across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, by party or advocate name.