House-Trespass to Commit an Offence Under the BNS (Section 332): IPC 449 to 451 Mapping (2026)

Explainer · BNS · Criminal Trespass

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

Entering someone’s home without permission is a trespass. Entering it in order to commit a crime inside is a graver matter, and the law punishes it more heavily the more serious the planned crime is. Since 1 July 2024 the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) has replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and house-trespass in order to commit an offence, the old Sections 449 to 451 of the IPC, is now Section 332 of the BNS. This explainer sets out what Section 332 says, which old IPC sections it replaces, how the punishment is graded, and whether the offence is cognizable and bailable. Last verified October 2026.

01The problem: trespass with a criminal purpose

Simple criminal trespass is entering property in another’s possession with intent to commit an offence, or to intimidate, insult, or annoy. House-trespass is that same trespass into a building, tent, or vessel used as a human dwelling or for worship or property. The offence here is a step beyond: house-trespass done in order to commit a further offence inside.

Because the planned crime can be anything from a petty act to a murder, a single flat punishment would be unfair. So the law grades the punishment by the seriousness of the offence the trespasser meant to commit. That grading is the heart of Section 332.

House-trespass in order to commit an offence is now Section 332 of the BNS, the old Sections 449 to 451 of the IPC. The punishment rises with the seriousness of the intended crime.

02What Section 332 says

Section 332 of the BNS punishes whoever commits house-trespass in order to commit an offence. It does not create a fixed sentence. Instead, it ties the punishment to the offence the trespasser intended to commit. The ingredients are:

• A house-trespass, meaning a criminal trespass into a dwelling, place of worship, or place used for custody of property.
• Done in order to commit an offence inside, so the criminal purpose is present at the time of entry.

The section then fixes the maximum sentence by reference to how the intended offence is itself punishable. This is why the same section can carry anything from a short term to imprisonment for life.

03The old-to-new mapping

The BNS folds three old IPC sections into one graded section.

So a person searching for "section 451 ipc in bns" is looking for Section 332 of the BNS, specifically the limb for an intended offence punishable with imprisonment. The old Sections 449 and 450 are the same Section 332, read with the death and life-imprisonment limbs.

04Graded punishment and classification

Section 332 grades the punishment by the intended offence:

• If the intended offence is punishable with death: imprisonment for life, or rigorous imprisonment up to ten years, and a fine.
• If the intended offence is punishable with imprisonment for life: imprisonment of either description up to ten years, and a fine.
• If the intended offence is punishable with imprisonment (the old Section 451 limb): imprisonment of either description up to two years, and a fine.
• If the intended offence is theft: the term may be extended to seven years.

On classification, house-trespass to commit an offence is generally cognizable. Whether it is bailable, and which court tries it, tend to follow the seriousness of the intended offence, so these should be checked for the specific limb that applies.

05What changed, and a note on the number

The substance is carried over. The three old IPC sections, 449, 450, and 451, are now the limbs of a single Section 332, with the same grading by the intended offence and the same special seven-year rule where the intended offence is theft. Case law under the old sections still guides how Section 332 is read.

One point needs care. The BNS renumbered the trespass chapter, so the old number did not carry over. In the BNS, Section 333 is a different offence, house-trespass after preparation for causing hurt, assault, or wrongful restraint (the old Section 452), while house-trespass in order to commit an offence is Section 332. Always confirm the section by its text, not by a remembered number. For the wider renumbering, see how the BNS changed the IPC.

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.

On a Section 332 matter the charge travels with the intended offence, so you are reading several sections and often a live FIR at once. Claw lets you search 30 crore and more judgments, a store that reaches back to the Supreme Court in 1950 and the High Courts from 1990, in under five seconds, so you can pull authorities under both Section 332 of the BNS and the old Sections 449 to 451 of the IPC, including the decisions on the theft limb. It also tracks the live case, its orders and hearings under this section, by party name or advocate name, across 9,102 courts, benches and forums. For the wider view, see case search across Indian courts.

Claw does not file a case or give legal advice, and it does not use customer documents to train its AI models. Open a free Claw account to look up and follow trespass matters by party or advocate name.

07Sources and further reading

• India Code (official text of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023): indiacode.nic.in
• Ministry of Home Affairs (new criminal laws): mha.gov.in
• BNS Section 332 (reference text): devgan.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

This explainer is general information, not legal advice. Section numbers and punishments change through amendments and notifications, so check the current official text and take advice from counsel before you act.

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