Bare Acts PDF Free Download: 5 Core Acts to Save First
If you want a bare acts pdf free download that you can trust, use official government sources. India Code carries central and state Acts with their amendments, and the eGazette carries the notified originals. Start with five Acts. The BNS and BNSS suit criminal practitioners and judiciary aspirants, the BSA suits anyone who argues evidence, the Constitution suits every student, and the Contract Act suits commercial and corporate lawyers. A good PDF is current and carries no commentary.
Most readers lose time on version problems. Old IPC and CrPC files circulate beside the new codes, scanned copies drop pages, and some files mix commentary into the statutory text. This list tells you what each Act covers, which provisions to read first, and which version to save, so that you never cite a repealed section by mistake.
LeXi AI supports research and drafting for Indian lawyers and students, and that work always begins with the bare text. A clean PDF is your base copy. A platform such as LeXi AI then helps you search and apply it.
1. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the IPC
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Act 45 of 2023) is the substantive criminal code of India. It replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and came into force on 1 July 2024. It has 358 sections, against 511 in the IPC. For a Bare Acts PDF free download that serves any criminal law course or practice, save this one first.
Provisions to read first
Begin with the provisions that you will cite most often. The table maps four BNS sections to the IPC sections that lawyers still quote from older judgments, and the IPC vs BNS section-wise comparison covers the rest.
| BNS section | Subject | IPC section |
|---|---|---|
| 63 | Rape | 375 |
| 85 | Cruelty by husband or relatives | 498A |
| 103 | Punishment for murder | 302 |
| 318 | Cheating | 415, 420 |
Which PDF to download
Save the BNS from India Code, because that copy carries the current text. Keep the IPC PDF as well. Section 358 of the BNS repeals the IPC, but offenses committed before 1 July 2024 are still dealt with under the IPC numbering.
Check the Act number and year on the first page. A copy from the eGazette shows the text exactly as notified, which helps when you need to confirm the original wording.
The BNS governs offenses committed on or after 1 July 2024, and the IPC governs everything before it.
2. Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act 46 of 2023) is the procedural code for criminal cases. It replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 from 1 July 2024 and has 531 sections, against 484 in the CrPC. Anyone who needs a Bare Acts PDF free download on arrest, bail, FIR, or trial needs this file, because procedure is where most day-to-day practice happens.
Provisions to read first
These four provisions come up most often in applications and petitions. Each one has a CrPC counterpart that older orders still cite.
| BNSS section | Subject | CrPC section |
|---|---|---|
| 144 | Maintenance of wives, children, and parents | 125 |
| 173 | Information in cognizable cases (FIR) | 154 |
| 482 | Anticipatory bail | 438 |
| 528 | Inherent powers of the High Court | 482 |
Which PDF to download
Download the BNSS from India Code, and take the CrPC from the same library. Section 531 of the BNSS repeals the CrPC, but trials, appeals, and investigations pending on that date continue under the old Code. Your CrPC copy is therefore not obsolete.
Label your files with the code name and year. A folder that holds both "CrPC 1973" and "BNSS 2023" saves you from quoting the wrong section in a bail application.
Cite the CrPC for proceedings pending on 1 July 2024 and the BNSS for proceedings begun after it.
3. Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023
The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (Act 47 of 2023) is the law of evidence in India. It replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 from 1 July 2024 and has 170 sections, against 167 in the old Act. This is the right Bare Acts PDF free download for students preparing evidence papers and for litigators who handle electronic records.
Provisions to read first
Read the BSA end to end once, since it is short. Two provisions deserve a bookmark from day one, because digital evidence now sits at the center of most trials.
| BSA section | Subject | Evidence Act counterpart |
|---|---|---|
| 2(1)(e) | Definition of document, including electronic and digital records | 3 |
| 63 | Admissibility of electronic records and the certificate | 65B |
Which PDF to download
Keep both the BSA and the Evidence Act PDF. Case law decided before July 2024 uses the old numbers. For example, Arjun Panditrao Khotkar v. Kailash Kushanrao Gorantyal (2020) 7 SCC 1 discusses the Section 65B certificate, which you now read alongside Section 63 of the BSA.
Section 170 of the BSA carries the repeal and savings provision. Read it once, so that you know how the transition applies to pending proceedings.
Older evidence judgments remain useful, but you must translate their section numbers before you cite them.
4. Constitution of India
The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950 and sits above every other Act on this list. Every Bare Act must be read against it. A clean copy matters for CLAT, judiciary prelims, and constitutional litigation alike, which is why any Bare Acts PDF free download library is incomplete without it.
Provisions to read first
Part III on fundamental rights, Articles 12 to 35, is the heart of most petitions. These five Articles appear in constitutional arguments more than any others.
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| 14 | Equality before the law |
| 19 | Protection of certain freedoms, including speech and profession |
| 21 | Protection of life and personal liberty |
| 32 | Right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement |
| 226 | Power of High Courts to issue writs |
Which PDF to download
Choose the text published by the Legislative Department at legislative.gov.in, or the copy on India Code. Both are official, and both include footnotes that identify each amending Act.
Read those footnotes before you rely on an Article. They show when and how a provision changed, for instance through the Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016, which introduced Article 246A for GST.
A Constitution PDF is only as reliable as its amendment footnotes.
5. Indian Contract Act, 1872
The Indian Contract Act, 1872 (Act IX of 1872) governs how contracts are formed, performed, and broken. It also covers indemnity, guarantee, bailment, pledge, and agency. Commercial lawyers, in-house teams, and students should save it, and a free Indian Contract Act bare act PDF should show its amendments and omitted sections.
Provisions to read first
These six sections answer most first-year questions and most drafting disputes. Sections 74 and 124 matter in particular when you review liability clauses.
| Section | Subject |
|---|---|
| 2(h) | Definition of a contract |
| 10 | Which agreements are contracts |
| 27 | Agreements in restraint of trade |
| 73 | Compensation for loss caused by breach |
| 74 | Compensation when a penalty is stipulated |
| 124 | Indemnity defined |
Which PDF to download
Pick a version that shows amendments, since several provisions have been modified or omitted. Sections 76 to 123 on sale of goods were repealed when the Sale of Goods Act, 1930 took effect, and the partnership sections moved to the Partnership Act, 1932. Save those two Acts beside it.
Contract reviewers can pair the PDF with a tool. LeXi Desk flags clause risk such as indemnity wording, and you can check each flag against Sections 124 and 125 of this Act.
Gaps in the Contract Act numbering are not missing pages. Parliament moved those subjects to separate Acts.
Which Bare Acts to save first
A reliable Bare Acts library starts small. Save the BNS, BNSS, BSA, Constitution, and Contract Act from India Code, and keep the IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act beside the new codes for older matters. Label every file with its Act number and year, and check India Code again whenever an amendment is notified.
These PDFs give you the exact statutory text. The next step is using that text quickly, across sections, judgments, and drafts. With LeXi AI, you can run legal research, draft documents, and review contracts on one platform, and you can test LeXi AI free on the Acts on this list to see how it works.