BNSS 142 — Power to release persons imprisoned for failing to give security.

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023

Statutory text

(1) Whenever the District
Magistrate in the case of an order passed by an Executive Magistrate under section 136, or the Chief Judicial
Magistrate in any other case is of opinion that any person imprisoned for failing to give security under this
Chapter may be released without hazard to the community or to any other person, he may order such person
to be discharged.
(2) Whenever any person has been imprisoned for failing to give security under this Chapter, the High
Court or Court of Session, or, where the order was made by any other Court, District Magistrate, in the case
of an order passed by an Executive Magistrate under section 136, or the Chief Judicial Magistrate in any
other case, may make an order reducing the amount of the security or the number of sureties or the time for
which security has been required.
(3) An order under sub-section (1) may direct the discharge of such person either without conditions or
upon any conditions which such person accepts:
Provided that any condition imposed shall cease to be operative when the period for which such person
was ordered to give security has expired.
(4) The State Government may prescribe, by rules, the conditions upon which a conditional discharge
may be made.
(5) If any condition upon which any person has been discharged is, in the opinion of District Magistrate,
in the case of an order passed by an Executive Magistrate under section 136, or the Chief Judicial Magistrate
in any other case by whom the order of discharge was made or of his successor, not fulfilled, he may cancel
the same.
(6) When a conditional order of discharge has been cancelled under sub-section (5), such person may
be  arrested  by  any  police  officer  without  warrant,  and  shall  thereupon  be produced  before  the  District
Magistrate,  in  the  case  of  an  order  passed  by  an  Executive Magistrate  under  section  136,  or  the  Chief
Judicial Magistrate in any other case.
(7)  Unless  such  person  gives  security  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  the  original order  for  the
unexpired portion of the term for which he was in the first instance committed or ordered to be detained
(such  portion  being  deemed  to  be  a  period  equal  to  the period between  the  date  of  the  breach  of  the
conditions of discharge and the date on which, except for such conditional discharge, he would have been
entitled to release), District Magistrate, in the case of an order passed by an Executive Magistrate under
section 136, or the Chief Judicial Magistrate in any other case may remand such person to prison to undergo
such unexpired portion.
(8) A person remanded to prison under sub-section (7) shall, subject to the provisionsof section 141, be
released at any time on giving security in accordance with the terms of the original order for the unexpired
portion aforesaid to the Court or Magistrate by whom such order was made, or to its or his successor.
(9) The High Court or Court of Session may at any time, for sufficient reasons to be recorded in writing,
cancel  any  bond  for  keeping  the  peace  or  for  good  behaviour executed under this  Chapter  by  any  order
made by it, and District Magistrate, in the case of an order  passed by an Executive Magistrate under section
136, or the Chief Judicial Magistrate in any other case may make such cancellation where such bond was
executed under his order or under the order of any other Court in his district.

(10) Any surety for the peaceable conduct or good behaviour of another person ordered to execute a
bond under this Chapter may at any time apply to the Court making such order to cancel the bond and on
such  application  being  made,  the  Court  shall  issue  a summons  or  warrant,  as  it  thinks  fit,  requiring  the
person for whom such surety is bound to appear or to be brought before it.

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