Assault
What this section does
Defines 'assault' as making any gesture or preparation intending or knowing it likely to cause a person present to apprehend that criminal force is about to be used against them. Mere words alone do not constitute assault, but words can give meaning to gestures so as to make them amount to assault.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
Practitioner note
This is a definitional section only; it creates no offence and prescribes no punishment. The definition of assault is used in subsequent sections that penalise assault and criminal force.
Derived from IPC s.351.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNS Section 130, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNS Section 130 forms part of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita which replaced the Indian Penal Code 1860 on 1 July 2024. Any new filing, FIR, charge sheet, or bail application made on or after that date should cite the new section number. References to the old act in legacy documents remain valid for matters that arose before the changeover.