Stolen property
What this section does
This section defines 'stolen property' and creates multiple offences relating to receiving, retaining, or concealing such property. It covers ordinary receipt of stolen goods, aggravated receipt linked to dacoity, habitual dealing in stolen property, and voluntary assistance in concealing or disposing of stolen property.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
Quick reference
- Punishment
- Sub-section 2: imprisonment of either description up to 3 years, or fine, or both. Sub-section 3: imprisonment for life, or rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years, and fine. Sub-section 4: imprisonment for life, or imprisonment of either description up to 10 years, and fine. Sub-section 5: imprisonment of either description up to 3 years, or fine, or both.
- Triable by
- Sessions Court
- Cognizable
- Yes
- Bailable
- Depends
- Compoundable
- Depends
Ingredients (what prosecution must prove)
- For sub-section 2 (basic receipt): Dishonest receipt or retention of property; the property is stolen property; the accused knew or had reason to believe it to be stolen
- For sub-section 3 (dacoity-linked): Dishonest receipt or retention of property transferred by dacoity, or receipt from a known or suspected dacoit of property known or believed to be stolen
- For sub-section 4 (habitual dealing): Habitual receipt or dealing in property known or believed to be stolen
- For sub-section 5 (concealment): Voluntary assistance in concealing, disposing of, or making away with property known or believed to be stolen
Practitioner note
Sub-section 1 provides the definition of 'stolen property' — it includes property transferred by theft, extortion, robbery, cheating, criminal misappropriation, or criminal breach of trust, whether within or outside India, but ceases to be stolen once it comes into the possession of a person legally entitled to it. Cognizability, bailability, and triable_by vary by sub-section; the dacoity-linked and habitual offences (sub-sections 3 and 4) carry life imprisonment.
Derived from IPC s.410.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNS Section 317, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNS Section 317 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.