IPC 427 → BNS 324(4): Mischief (Damage Amount)

IPC 427 (now BNS 324(4)): Mischief Causing Damage

IPC Section 427 punishes mischief that causes wrongful loss or damage to property of a specified value. Under the old IPC the threshold was a damage amount of fifty rupees or more. From 1 July 2024 it continues as Section 324(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.

What changed from IPC to BNS?

The most important change is the monetary threshold: the old IPC 427 figure of fifty rupees has been raised to twenty thousand rupees in BNS 324(4). Petty damage below the new floor now falls under the lower mischief slabs rather than this provision — a sensible modernisation, since a fifty-rupee threshold from 1860 had become meaningless. The numbering moved from IPC 427 to BNS 324(4). New FIRs cite BNS 324(4).

Worked example

A keys a parked car and dents its panels, causing repair costs of about thirty-five thousand rupees. Because the damage now crosses the twenty-thousand-rupee BNS threshold, the offence is charged under BNS 324(4); had the loss been only a few hundred rupees, it would fall under a lower mischief clause instead.

Practical notes

• For advocates: the damage valuation is now decisive — establish it carefully. Read BNS 324(4) with the definition of mischief (IPC 425 to BNS 324(1)), the general punishment for mischief (IPC 426 to BNS 324(2)), and mischief by killing or maiming cattle (IPC 429 to BNS 325).
• Obtain repair estimates and valuation reports early, as the charge slab turns entirely on the proved amount.