BNSS 218 — Prosecution of Judges and public servants.

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023

Statutory text

(1) When any person who is  or was a Judge  or
Magistrate or a public servant not removable from his office save by or with the sanction of the Government
is accused of any offence alleged to have been committed by him while acting or purporting to act in the
discharge  of  his  official  duty,  no  Court  shall  take  cognizance  of  such  offence  except  with  the  previous
sanction save as otherwise provided in the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (1 of 2014)—
(a) in the case of a person who is employed or, as the case may be, was at the time of commission
of  the  alleged  offence  employed,  in  connection  with  the  affairs  of  the  Union,  of  the  Central
Government;
(b) in the case of a person who is employed or, as the case may be, was at the time of commission
of the alleged offence employed, in connection with the affairs of a State, of the State Government:
Provided that where the alleged offence was committed by a person referred to in clause (b) during the
period  while  a  Proclamation  issued  under  clause  (1)  of  article  356  of the  Constitution  was  in force  in  a
State, clause (b) will apply as if for the expression "State Government" occurring therein, the expression
“Central Government” were substituted:
Provided further that such Government shall take a decision within a period of one hundred and twenty
days from the date of the receipt of the request for sanction and in case it fails to do so, the sanction shall
be deemed to have been accorded by such Government:

Provided  also  that  no  sanction  shall  be  required  in  case  of  a  public  servant  accused  of  any  offence
alleged to have been committed under section 64, section 65, section 66, section 68, section 69, section 70,
section 71, section 74, section 75, section 76, section 77, section 78, section 79, section 143, section 199 or
section 200 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
(2) No Court shall take cognizance of any offence alleged to have been committed by any member of
the Armed Forces of the Union while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of his official duty, except
with the previous sanction of the Central Government.
(3) The State Government may, by notification, direct that the provisions of sub-section (2) shall apply
to such class  or category of the members  of the Forces  charged  with the  maintenance of public  order as
may be specified therein, wherever they may be serving, and thereupon the provisions of that sub-section
will  apply  as  if  for  the  expression "Central  Government"  occurring  therein,  the  expression  "State
Government" were substituted.
(4)  Notwithstanding  anything  contained  in  sub-section  (3),  no  Court  shall  take  cognizance  of  any
offence, alleged to have been committed by any member of the Forces charged with the maintenance of
public order in a State while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of his official duty during the period
while a Proclamation issued under clause (1) of article 356 of the Constitution was in force therein, except
with the previous sanction of the Central Government.
(5) The Central Government or the State Government, may determine the person by whom, the manner
in which, and the offence or offences for which, the prosecution of such Judge, Magistrate or public servant
is to be conducted, and may specify the Court before which the trial is to be held.

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