Acquittal or conviction
Full Text
(1) If the Magistrate, upon taking the evidence referred to in section 277 and such further evidence, if any, as he may, of his own motion, cause to be produced, finds the accused not guilty, he shall record an order of acquittal.
(2) Where the Magistrate does not proceed in accordance with the provisions of section 364 or section 401, he shall, if he finds the accused guilty, pass sentence upon him according to law.
(3) A Magistrate may, under section 275 or section 278, convict the accused of any offence triable under this Chapter, which from the facts admitted or proved he appears to have committed, whatever may be the nature of the complaint or summons, if the Magistrate is satisfied that the accused would not be prejudiced thereby.
Plain English Summary
Specifies the final judgment procedure for summons-cases, allowing for conviction based on proven facts regardless of the original summons.
Key Legal Elements
- Specific to summons-cases
- Magistrate records acquittal if accused is found not guilty after evidence
- Magistrate passes sentence according to law if guilty
- Magistrate can convict for ANY offence triable under this Chapter based on facts
- Flexibility to convict for a different offence than originally summoned, provided no prejudice to accused
Practical Note
A critical power in Sub-section (3) allows the Magistrate to convict the accused for a different offence than what was originally mentioned in the summons, as long as it's triable as a summons case and the facts support it. This ensures that technical errors in the initial summons don't lead to a failure of justice.
हिंदी पाठ
(1) यदि मजिस्ट्रेट, धारा 277 में निर्दिष्ट साक्ष्य और ऐसे और साक्ष्य, यदि कोई हों, जिन्हें वह अपनी ओर से पेश करवा सकता है, लेने पर अभियुक्त को दोषी नहीं पाता है, तो वह दोषमुक्ति (acquittal) का आदेश अभिलिखित करेगा।
(2) जहाँ मजिस्ट्रेट धारा 364 या धारा 401 के प्रावधानों के अनुसार कार्यवाही नहीं करता है, वहां वह, यदि अभियुक्त को दोषी पाता है, तो कानून के अनुसार उसे दंडादेश देगा।
(3) मजिस्ट्रेट धारा 275 या धारा 278 के तहत अभियुक्त को इस अध्याय के तहत विचारणीय किसी भी ऐसे अपराध के लिए दोषी ठहरा सकता है, जो स्वीकार किए गए या सिद्ध किए गए तथ्यों से प्रतीत होता है कि उसने किया है, चाहे परिवाद या समन का स्वरूप कुछ भी हो, यदि मजिस्ट्रेट संतुष्ट है कि इससे अभियुक्त पर कोई प्रतिकूल प्रभाव (prejudice) नहीं पड़ेगा।