The Indian Penal Code (IPC, 1860) is the first codified law within the common law system of Britain, having the longest continuity and the greatest influence. The IPC was drafted in the 1830s by British politician and historian T. B. Macaulay, and was enacted in 1860 when Britain dismantled the East India Company and began directly governing the Indian subcontinent. The IPC has been applied with minimal changes in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore, where even the numbering of its provisions remains largely unchanged. However, in India, the Modi government, under the banner of removing colonial legacies, introduced a new penal code (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Act No. 45 of 2023, abbreviated as BNS), which replaced the old Indian Penal Code on June 30, 2024, ending its long-standing enforcement since May 1, 1861.

This colloquium will examine the distinct characteristics of the IPC’s 511 provisions, comparing them with other criminal codes from a legal perspective. From a historical standpoint, the presentation will explore how the text of the IPC, enacted in the 19th century, along with its numerous illustrative regulations, can serve as valuable resources for understanding the social conditions of that time.