● Retained in BNS
Nothing done by a child under seven is ever an offence -- an absolute rule, unchanged under BNS Section 20 from IPC 82. Seven remains the minimum age of criminal responsibility in India.
Section 82 IPC provided that nothing is an offence which is done by a child under seven years of age -- a short, absolute rule with no exception for the child's actual intent or understanding.
BNS Section 20 reproduces the exception verbatim, word for word -- no substantive change.
Nothing changed -- identical text, pure renumbering from IPC 82 to BNS 20. The minimum age of criminal responsibility remains seven.
This general exception is itself a complete defence: the accused's age under seven at the time of the act bars criminal liability entirely, regardless of intent or understanding.
Summaries are for general information and are not legal advice. For the authoritative bare-act text, see the official Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and Indian Penal Code, 1860 (full amended text, as it stood before repeal) on India Code, or the Ministry of Home Affairs' new criminal laws page. ← All comparisons