1860 (in force 1862) · Criminal codes
Indian Penal Code
British India
A complete criminal code for British India, first drafted by Thomas Babington Macaulay and his commission in the 1830s, which defines offences and penalties in one clear text.
Why it matters
It was the template for criminal codes across the British Empire, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Brunei, and parts of Africa. Its basic structure lasted in India for more than a century and a half.
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Went on to shape
No later text on this timeline is recorded as built on it.
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