Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XVII: Of Offences against Property · Of theft
Section 305: Theft in a dwelling house, or means of transportation or place of worship, etc
In plain words
Theft in certain places or of certain things is punishable with up to seven years in prison and a fine.
- Theft in a building, tent or vessel used as a home or to keep property.
- Theft of any vehicle used to carry goods or passengers, or of goods from such a vehicle.
- Theft of an idol or icon from a place of worship.
- Theft of government or local authority property.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
Whoever commits theft—
(a) in any building, tent or vessel used as a human dwelling or used for the custody of property; or
(b) of any means of transport used for the transport of goods or passengers; or
(c) of any article or goods from any means of transport used for the transport of goods or passengers; or
(d) of idol or icon in any place of worship; or
(e) of any property of the Government or of a local authority,
shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Corresponding sections were matched by comparing the wording of both official texts, and for the IPC and BNS, also against a published correspondence table. Wording, punishments and structure often changed, so read both sections before relying on the match.
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 25 August 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 305
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.