Old law lookup
IPC Section 146
Rioting
New section under BNS
BNS Section 191— Rioting
Effective for any FIR, charge sheet, or filing on or after 1 July 2024. Matters that arose before that date continue under the IPC.
What the new section does
Defines the offence of rioting as the use of force or violence by an unlawful assembly or any member thereof in furtherance of the assembly's common object. Every member of such assembly is guilty. Enhanced punishment applies when a rioter is armed with a deadly weapon or anything likely to cause death.
- Punishment
- Basic rioting (s.191(2)): imprisonment of either description up to 2 years, or fine, or both. Rioting while armed with deadly weapon (s.191(3)): imprisonment of either description up to 5 years, or fine, or both.
- Triable by
- Magistrate of First Class
- Cognizable
- Yes
- Bailable
- Yes
For the full text of the new section, see the linked BNS page above. For the binding statutory text, refer to the India Code or the Gazette of India. This reference is informational, not legal advice.