BNS Section 320 — Dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property to prevent distribution among creditors

Summary

Whoever dishonestly or fraudulently removes, conceals, or hands over to any person, or transfers or causes to be transferred to any person, any property without adequate payment or value in return, and does so intending to prevent, or knowing it is likely to prevent, the distribution of that property according to law among his own creditors or the creditors of any other person, commits an offence. The punishment for this offence is imprisonment of either kind for a term of not less than six months and up to two years, or a fine, or both.

Official Text

Whoever dishonestly or fraudulently removes, conceals or delivers to any person, or transfers or causes to be transferred to any person, without adequate consideration, any property, intending thereby to prevent, or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby prevent, the distribution of that property according to law among his creditors or the creditors of any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

Related Judgments

• SC (2025) Vol.3 p.1309 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• SC (2025) Vol.3 p.1531 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• SC (2025) Vol.11 p.291 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• SC (2025) Vol.6 p.280 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• ... Petitioner/A-5 in Crl.OP.7183/2015 vs The Deputy Superintendent of Police, — Madras High Court (2015)
• SC (2024) Vol.8 p.670 — Supreme Court of India (2024)
• SC (2024) Vol.6 p.129 — Supreme Court of India (2024)
• SC (2025) Vol.9 p.283 — Supreme Court of India (2025)

Old <-> New Code Mapping

• IPC §421 — Dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property to prevent distribution among creditors