Substance of accusation to be stated
Full Text
When in a summons-case the accused appears or is brought before the Magistrate, the particulars of the offence of which he is accused shall be stated to him, and he shall be asked whether he pleads guilty or has any defence to make, but it shall not be necessary to frame a formal charge:
Provided that if the Magistrate considers the accusation as groundless, he shall, after recording reasons in writing, release the accused and such release shall have the effect of discharge.
Plain English Summary
Specifies the simplified procedure for initiating a summons-case where a formal charge is not required, and introduces an explicit power of discharge.
Key Legal Elements
- Specific to summons-cases
- Accused is informed of the particulars of the offence
- Accused is asked for a plea or defence
- Formal charge framing is NOT necessary
- NEW: Magistrate can release (discharge) the accused at this stage if the accusation is groundless
Practical Note
This section simplifies the procedure for summons cases by removing the need for a formal charge sheet. A major update in BNSS is the Proviso, which explicitly allows the Magistrate to discharge the accused at this early stage if the case is groundless—a power that was ambiguous in CrPC for summons cases.
हिंदी पाठ
जब किसी समन-मामले में अभियुक्त मजिस्ट्रेट के समक्ष उपस्थित होता है या लाया जाता है, तो उसे उस अपराध की विशिष्टियां (particulars) बताई जाएंगी जिसका उस पर आरोप है, और उससे पूछा जाएगा कि क्या वह दोष स्वीकार करता है या उसे कोई प्रतिरक्षा करनी है, लेकिन औपचारिक आरोप (formal charge) विरचित करना आवश्यक नहीं होगा:
परंतु यदि मजिस्ट्रेट अभियोग को निराधार मानता है, तो वह लिखित रूप में कारण दर्ज करने के बाद, अभियुक्त को छोड़ देगा और ऐसे छोड़े जाने का प्रभाव उन्मोचन (discharge) का होगा।