Section 70 CrPC (Now Section 72 BNSS): Form of Warrant of Arrest and Its Duration – Validity, Bailable and Non-Bailable Warrants, Cancellation and धारा 70 in Hindi

Section 70 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) laid down the form of a warrant of arrest and how long it lasts. Since 1 July 2024 the same rule, unchanged, is Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS): every warrant of arrest issued by a court must be in writing, signed by the presiding officer of the court and bear the court’s seal, and under sub-section (2) it “shall remain in force until it is cancelled by the Court which issued it, or until it is executed.” An arrest warrant therefore has no expiry date. Under the Act it ends when the person is arrested under it or when the court that issued it cancels it (a higher court can also set aside the proceedings).

Whether a warrant is “bailable” depends on the next section, Section 73 BNSS (formerly Section 71 CrPC): if the court endorses on it that the person may be released on a bail bond with sureties, it is a bailable warrant; without that endorsement the person is brought before the court, which decides on bail. This page explains these sections, the Supreme Court’s rules on warrants, cancellation, and gives a summary in Hindi.

Reviewed and updated by Century Law Firm, Delhi – October 2026. Statutory references are to the Acts as in force on that date. The BNSS and the BNS are quoted from India Code (English texts as on 6 October 2025, with no later amendment to the sections discussed), the Hindi wording of the BNSS from the Gazette text on India Code, the Constitution from the Legislative Department’s 2026 edition, and the judgments from the Supreme Court’s own copies.

Section 70 CrPC and Section 72 BNSS: the text

Section 70 CrPC is now Section 72 BNSS. The firm’s comparison data, checked against the Gazette, records “No change” between the two. The BNSS text reads:

“72. Form of warrant of arrest and duration.—(1) Every warrant of arrest issued by a Court under this Sanhita shall be in writing, signed by the presiding officer of such Court and shall bear the seal of the Court.
(2) Every such warrant shall remain in force until it is cancelled by the Court which issued it, or until it is executed.”

It sits in Chapter VI, “Processes to Compel Appearance”, under “B.—Warrant of arrest”, right after the provisions on summons. You can look up any old section with the firm’s CrPC to BNSS comparison tool.

Sub-section (1): writing, signature and seal

A warrant of arrest is a court’s written order directing an officer to arrest a named person and bring him before the court. Sub-section (1) sets three conditions: writing, the signature of the presiding officer (the judge or magistrate presiding over the court) and the court’s seal. An oral direction, or a paper without the signature and seal, does not meet the form that Section 72 requires. The formalities matter because a warrant takes away personal liberty, and Section 62 BNSS says: “No arrest shall be made except in accordance with the provisions of this Sanhita or any other law for the time being in force providing for arrest.”

The format of a warrant: Form No. 3

The model format is Form No. 3 in the Second Schedule to the BNSS, “WARRANT OF ARREST (See section 72)”. It is addressed to the person who is to execute it and reads: “WHEREAS (name of accused) of (address) stands charged with the offence of … (state the offence), you are hereby directed to arrest the said …, and to produce him before me. Herein fail not.” It is dated and carries the seal of the court and the signature.

Below it is the optional endorsement under Section 73: “If the said … shall give bail himself in the sum of rupees … with one surety in the sum of rupees … (or two sureties each in the sum of rupees …) to attend before me on the … day of … and to continue so to attend until otherwise directed by me, he may be released.” Under Section 522 BNSS the forms may be used “with such variations as the circumstances of each case require”.

How long is an arrest warrant valid? Section 70(2) CrPC / 72(2) BNSS

Sub-section (2) answers it: the warrant “shall remain in force until it is cancelled by the Court which issued it, or until it is executed.” This means:

• No period of days, months or years makes a warrant lapse. A warrant issued years ago is still in force if not executed or cancelled.
• It ends when it is executed, that is, when the person is arrested under it.
• Section 72(2) names cancellation by “the Court which issued it”; a police officer cannot cancel a warrant. A High Court can also set aside the proceedings, and with them the warrant, under its inherent powers (Section 528).

Bailable and non-bailable warrants: Section 73 BNSS (formerly Section 71 CrPC)

Section 73(1) BNSS says that any court issuing a warrant of arrest “may in its discretion direct by endorsement on the warrant that, if such person executes a bail bond with sufficient sureties for his attendance before the Court at a specified time and thereafter until otherwise directed by the Court, the officer to whom the warrant is directed shall take such security and shall release such person from custody.” The endorsement states the number of sureties, the amounts for which they and the person are bound, and the time to attend court (Section 73(2)); the officer forwards the bond to the court (Section 73(3)).

A warrant carrying this endorsement is commonly called a bailable warrant (BW); one without it is called a non-bailable warrant (NBW). These are terms of practice (the BNSS itself uses “bailable warrant” in Section 482(3)). A “bail bond” is defined in Section 2(1)(d) BNSS as “an undertaking for release with surety”.

Point	Bailable warrant	Non-bailable warrant
Legal basis	Warrant under Section 72 with an endorsement under Section 73	Warrant under Section 72 without that endorsement
On arrest	The officer takes the bail bond and sureties stated on the warrant and releases the person	The person is brought before the court (Section 78), which decides on bail
Arrest outside the district	Local authority takes the security (Section 83(1))	If the offence is bailable, the local authority takes a bail bond; if non-bailable, the local CJM or Sessions Judge may grant bail (Section 83(1))
Supreme Court guidance	To be preferred where it will secure attendance (Inder Mohan Goswami)	Only when summons or bailable warrant is unlikely to work; never casually

A bailable warrant is not the same thing as a bailable offence. A “bailable offence” is defined in Section 2(1)(c) BNSS as an offence “shown as bailable in the First Schedule, or which is made bailable by any other law”; every other offence is non-bailable. Section 73 leaves the endorsement to the court’s discretion whatever the offence, and Section 83 deals separately with a bailable offence and with an endorsed warrant. Once the person is before the court, bail is decided under Section 478 BNSS (bailable offences, formerly Section 436 CrPC: he “shall be released on bail”) or Section 480 BNSS (non-bailable offences before a Magistrate, formerly Section 437 CrPC: he “may be released on bail”, subject to its limits; in the Court of Session or High Court, Section 483). See the firm’s guide to bail in India.

When does a court issue a warrant instead of a summons?

The usual first process is a summons (Section 63 BNSS; Form No. 2 asks the accused to appear “in person (or by an advocate”). A warrant is the stronger process, allowed in these situations:

• Warrant-case at the start: on taking cognizance of a warrant-case (an offence punishable with death, life imprisonment or more than two years, Section 2(1)(z)), the Magistrate “may issue a warrant, or, if he thinks fit, a summons” (Section 227(1)(b), formerly Section 204 CrPC).
• In place of or in addition to a summons: “after recording its reasons in writing”, if the court believes the person has absconded or will not obey the summons, or if he fails to appear although duly served and offers no reasonable excuse (Section 90, formerly Section 87 CrPC).
• Breach of a bond: when a person bound by a bond or bail bond does not appear (Section 92, formerly Section 89 CrPC); Sections 488 and 489 also provide for warrants where sureties become insufficient or seek discharge.

Inder Mohan Goswami v. State of Uttaranchal (2007)

In Inder Mohan Goswami & Another v. State of Uttaranchal & Others (Criminal Appeal No. 1392 of 2007, decided on 9 October 2007 by a three-judge Bench, judgment by Justice Dalveer Bhandari), a magistrate had issued non-bailable warrants on an FIR in what was essentially a land dispute. The Supreme Court quashed the proceedings and laid down how warrants should be issued, noting that “bailable and non-bailable warrants are issued casually and mechanically”.

“The issuance of non-bailable warrants involves interference with personal liberty,” the Court said, so “the courts have to be extremely careful before issuing non-bailable warrants.” A non-bailable warrant is for cases where a summons or bailable warrant is unlikely to work: where “it is reasonable to believe that the person will not voluntarily appear in court”, where the police cannot find the person to serve a summons, or where the person “could harm someone if not placed into custody immediately”. If a summons will do, “the summon or the bailable warrants should be preferred”. In complaint cases the order is summons, then bailable warrant, and a non-bailable warrant only “when the court is fully satisfied that the accused is avoiding the court’s proceeding intentionally”. As a general rule, “unless an accused is charged with the commission of an offence of a heinous crime and it is feared that he is likely to tamper or destroy the evidence or is likely to evade the process of law, issuance of non-bailable warrants should be avoided.”

Satender Kumar Antil v. CBI: the guidelines of 7 October 2021

On 7 October 2021, in Satender Kumar Antil v. Central Bureau of Investigation (SLP (Crl.) No. 5191 of 2021), Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.M. Sundresh made guidelines suggested by the Additional Solicitor General “a part of the order of the Court for the benefit of the Courts below”. They cover Category A offences, “punishable with imprisonment of 7 years or less not falling in category B & D” (B being offences punishable with death, life imprisonment or more than seven years, and D economic offences not covered by Special Acts), where the accused was not arrested during investigation and cooperated with it. After the chargesheet or complaint: ordinary summons first, “including permitting appearance through Lawyer”; a bailable warrant if the accused does not appear despite service; a non-bailable warrant if he fails to appear despite the bailable warrant; and “NBW may be cancelled or converted into a Bailable Warrant/Summons without insisting physical appearance of accused, if such an application is moved on behalf of the accused before execution of the NBW on an undertaking of the accused to appear physically on the next date/s of hearing.”

The benefit does not extend to an accused who did not cooperate with the investigation or answer summons, or where the court finds custody necessary, and the Court said the guidelines “are not fettered on the powers of the Courts”. The Court’s later judgment in the same case (2022) is not relied on here.

The warrant sections of the BNSS: old and new numbers

Section 72 is the first of a group of sections on warrants of arrest. All of them were carried over from the CrPC; the table gives the new number first, as mapped in the firm’s Gazette-checked data.

BNSS section	Former CrPC section	Subject	Change
72	70	Form of warrant of arrest and duration	No change
73	71	Power to direct security to be taken (bailable endorsement)	No change
74	72	Warrants to whom directed	No change
75	73	Warrant may be directed to any person	No change
76	74	Warrant directed to police officer	No change
77	75	Notification of substance of warrant	No change
78	76	Person arrested to be brought before court without delay	No change
79	77	Where warrant may be executed	No change
80	78	Warrant forwarded for execution outside jurisdiction	No change
81	79	Warrant directed to police officer for execution outside jurisdiction	No change
82	80	Procedure on arrest of person against whom warrant issued	New sub-section (2): information to designated police officers
83	81	Procedure by Magistrate before whom such person arrested is brought	“bail” replaced by “bail bond”
84	82	Proclamation for person absconding	Sub-section (4) now uses the ten-years-or-more test
90	87	Issue of warrant in lieu of, or in addition to, summons	No change
227	204	Issue of process	New proviso: summons or warrants through electronic means

How a warrant is executed: Sections 74 to 83 BNSS

To whom it is directed. A warrant “shall ordinarily be directed to one or more police officers”; the court may direct it to another person only “if its immediate execution is necessary and no police officer is immediately available” (Section 74). Another police officer may execute it if his name is endorsed on it (Section 76). Under Section 75, the Chief Judicial Magistrate or a Magistrate of the first class may also direct a warrant “to any person within his local jurisdiction” for the arrest of an escaped convict, a proclaimed offender, or a person accused of a non-bailable offence who is evading arrest.

Telling the person. The person executing the warrant “shall notify the substance thereof to the person to be arrested, and, if so required, shall show him the warrant” (Section 77, formerly Section 75 CrPC).

Production within 24 hours. The arrested person must be brought before the court “without unnecessary delay”, and the delay “shall not, in any case, exceed twenty-four hours exclusive of the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the Magistrate’s Court” (Section 78, formerly Section 76 CrPC; Article 22(2) of the Constitution). Under Section 48 whoever makes an arrest must also inform a relative, friend or other nominated person, and the designated police officer in the district. See the firm’s guide to the rights of an arrested person.

Anywhere in India. “A warrant of arrest may be executed at any place in India” (Section 79). Outside the issuing court’s jurisdiction, it is forwarded to, or endorsed by, the local Executive Magistrate, Superintendent or Commissioner of Police, or a police officer not below an officer in charge of a police station (Sections 80 and 81). The arrested person is taken before that local authority unless the issuing court is within thirty kilometres of the place of arrest or is nearer than that local authority, or security has been taken under Section 73 (Section 82(1)); the new Section 82(2) requires the police to inform the designated police officers of that district and of the district where he normally resides. Under Section 83 the local authority sends him to the issuing court, but takes a bail bond if the offence is bailable or the warrant is endorsed under Section 73; for a non-bailable offence, the Chief Judicial Magistrate or Sessions Judge of that district may release him on bail.

Assaulting or using criminal force against a police officer executing a warrant can lead to a separate case under Section 132 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 353 IPC), which is cognizable and non-bailable and punishable with imprisonment up to two years, or fine, or both.

Electronic warrants under the BNSS

The new proviso to Section 227(1) BNSS (formerly Section 204 CrPC) says: “Provided that summons or warrants may also be issued through electronic means.” Section 530 adds that proceedings under the Sanhita, “including— (i) issuance, service and execution of summons and warrant”, “may be held in electronic mode”. For summons, Section 63(ii) expressly allows electronic form bearing “the image of the seal of the Court or digital signature”; Section 72 was not amended in that way and still speaks of writing, signature and seal. The Act does not say how these appear on an electronic warrant.

If the person cannot be found: proclamation, attachment and trial in absentia

Proclamation (Section 84 BNSS, formerly Section 82 CrPC). If the court has reason to believe that the person “has absconded or is concealing himself so that such warrant cannot be executed”, it may publish a written proclamation requiring him to appear at a specified place and time “not less than thirty days from the date of publishing such proclamation”. It is read out where he ordinarily resides, fixed to his house and to the court-house, and may also be published in a daily newspaper.

Proclaimed offender and punishment. If the offence is punishable with imprisonment of ten years or more, life imprisonment or death and he does not appear, the court may declare him a proclaimed offender (Section 84(4)). Not appearing in response to a proclamation is an offence under Section 209 BNS (formerly Section 174A IPC): up to three years, or fine, or both, or community service; up to seven years and fine for a declared proclaimed offender.

Attachment and trial in absentia. The court may attach his property, for reasons recorded in writing (Section 85); it is released if he appears in time (Section 88(1)). Under the new Section 356 a proclaimed offender who has absconded to evade trial may be tried in his absence, after, among other conditions, the “issuance of two consecutive warrants of arrest within the interval of at least thirty days” and a newspaper notice giving him thirty days to appear; an advocate is provided at State expense.

An arrest warrant has been issued: what the law provides

This is general information on what the BNSS and the Supreme Court provide, not advice on a particular case; the right course depends on the offence, the stage of the case and why the warrant was issued.

• Know the warrant. The person executing it must tell its substance and show it on request (Section 77); a Section 73 endorsement, if any, states the bond and sureties needed.
• Cancellation is for the issuing court. Section 72(2) speaks of cancellation by “the Court which issued it”; the police cannot cancel a warrant. The BNSS prescribes no special form; the request is made to that court, and the Antil guidelines speak of an application “moved on behalf of the accused”.
• Bond on appearance. When the person is present in court, the court “may require such person to execute a bond or bail bond for his appearance” (Section 91 BNSS, formerly Section 88 CrPC).
• Bail. For a bailable offence, a person who appears and is prepared to give bail “shall be released on bail” (Section 478); for non-bailable offences the court decides under Section 480 (before a Magistrate) or Section 483 (Court of Session or High Court). Section 482 (formerly Section 438 CrPC) lets a person who has reason to believe he may be arrested on an accusation of a non-bailable offence apply to the High Court or the Court of Session for anticipatory bail; whether that remedy is open once a warrant has issued depends on the case.
• Do not ignore it. A warrant does not lapse with time, and continued absence can lead to proclamation, attachment and trial in absentia.

Where criminal proceedings are an abuse of process, the High Court can quash them under its inherent powers (Section 528 BNSS, formerly Section 482 CrPC). In Inder Mohan Goswami the High Court had refused to do so, and the Supreme Court, on appeal, quashed the proceedings; see the firm’s page on quashing of FIR.

Which “Section 70”? CrPC, IPC, BNS and BNSS

Searches for “dhara 70” can mean different laws, and since 1 July 2024 the numbers have changed:

Section 70 of	Subject	Old or new equivalent
CrPC, 1973	Form of warrant of arrest and duration	Section 72 BNSS
IPC, 1860	Fine leviable within six years, or during imprisonment; death does not discharge property	Section 8(7) BNS
BNS, 2023	Gang rape	Formerly Sections 376D, 376DA and 376DB IPC (now Section 70(1) and (2) BNS)
BNSS, 2023	Proof of service of summons when the serving officer is not present	Formerly Section 68 CrPC

This page is about the first of these. The firm’s guide to the BNS, BNSS and BSA explains the change of codes.

Cases that began under the CrPC

Under Section 531(2)(a) BNSS, any appeal, application, trial, inquiry or investigation pending immediately before the BNSS came into force on 1 July 2024 “shall be disposed of, continued, held or made … in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973”. In the firm’s reading, a warrant issued in a case pending on that date therefore remains governed by the CrPC, whose Section 70(2), like Section 72(2) BNSS, keeps it in force until it is executed or cancelled. Section 531(2)(b) also provides that proclamations issued and orders made under the CrPC that were in force on that date are deemed to have been issued or made under the corresponding provisions of the BNSS.

धारा 70 सीआरपीसी (अब धारा 72 BNSS) – हिंदी में सारांश (Summary in Hindi)

दंड प्रक्रिया संहिता, 1973 (CrPC) की धारा 70 गिरफ्तारी के वारंट के रूप (form) और उसकी अवधि के बारे में थी। 1 जुलाई 2024 से यही नियम भारतीय नागरिक सुरक्षा संहिता, 2023 (BNSS) की धारा 72 में है, और दोनों में कोई अंतर नहीं है। BNSS के आधिकारिक हिंदी पाठ में धारा 72 का शीर्षक है: “गिरफ्तारी के वारंट का प्ररूप और अवधि”।

आधिकारिक हिंदी पाठ (भारत के राजपत्र में प्रकाशित, इंडिया कोड पर उपलब्ध) इस प्रकार है: “72. (1) न्यायालय द्वारा इस संहिता के अधीन जारी किया गया गिरफ्तारी का प्रत्येक वारंट लिखित रूप में और ऐसे न्यायालय के पीठासीन अधिकारी द्वारा हस्ताक्षरित होगा और उस पर उस न्यायालय की मुद्रा लगी होगी । (2) ऐसा प्रत्येक वारंट तब तक प्रवर्तन में रहेगा जब तक वह उसे जारी करने वाले न्यायालय द्वारा रद्द नहीं कर दिया जाता है या जब तक वह निष्पादित नहीं कर दिया जाता है ।”

सरल शब्दों में, गिरफ्तारी का वारंट केवल न्यायालय जारी करता है। वह लिखित होना चाहिए, उस पर न्यायाधीश या मजिस्ट्रेट (पीठासीन अधिकारी) के हस्ताक्षर होने चाहिए और न्यायालय की मुद्रा (मुहर) लगी होनी चाहिए। धारा 70(2) सीआरपीसी, यानी अब धारा 72(2) BNSS, के अनुसार वारंट की कोई तय समय-सीमा नहीं है: वह तब तक लागू रहता है जब तक उसका निष्पादन न हो जाए (यानी व्यक्ति गिरफ्तार न हो जाए) या जारी करने वाला न्यायालय उसे रद्द न कर दे। पुलिस वारंट रद्द नहीं कर सकती। बिना वारंट गिरफ्तारी पुलिस की अलग शक्ति है, जो BNSS की धारा 35 में है।

जमानती और गैर-जमानती वारंट (ये बोलचाल के शब्द हैं, धारा 72 में नहीं): धारा 73 BNSS (पहले धारा 71 CrPC) के अनुसार न्यायालय वारंट पर पृष्ठांकन (endorsement) करके यह निदेश दे सकता है कि यदि व्यक्ति पर्याप्त प्रतिभुओं (sureties) सहित बंधपत्र (bail bond) दे दे, तो अधिकारी उसे अभिरक्षा से छोड़ देगा। पृष्ठांकन में प्रतिभुओं की संख्या, रकम और न्यायालय में उपस्थित होने का समय लिखा होता है। ऐसे वारंट को आम तौर पर जमानती वारंट कहते हैं। जिस वारंट पर यह पृष्ठांकन नहीं होता, उसे गैर-जमानती वारंट कहते हैं; उसमें व्यक्ति को न्यायालय के सामने लाया जाता है और जमानत का फैसला न्यायालय करता है।

वारंट के निष्पादन के नियम: वारंट साधारणतया पुलिस अधिकारी को दिया जाता है (धारा 74)। गिरफ्तार करने वाला व्यक्ति वारंट का सार बताएगा और माँगने पर वारंट दिखाएगा (धारा 77, “वारंट के सार की सूचना”)। गिरफ्तार व्यक्ति को अनावश्यक विलंब के बिना न्यायालय के सामने लाना होगा, और यह विलंब यात्रा के समय को छोड़कर चौबीस घंटे से अधिक नहीं होगा (धारा 78; संविधान का अनुच्छेद 22(2))। धारा 79 के अनुसार “गिरफ्तारी का वारंट भारत के किसी भी स्थान में निष्पादित किया जा सकेगा”। दूसरे जिले में गिरफ्तारी होने पर धारा 80 से 83 की प्रक्रिया लागू होती है।

सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने इंदर मोहन गोस्वामी बनाम उत्तरांचल राज्य (9 अक्टूबर 2007) में कहा कि गैर-जमानती वारंट व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता में हस्तक्षेप है, इसलिए न्यायालय उसे सोच-समझकर ही जारी करें; जहाँ समन से काम चल सकता हो, वहाँ समन या जमानती वारंट को प्राथमिकता दी जानी चाहिए। सतेंदर कुमार अंतिल बनाम CBI (7 अक्टूबर 2021) के दिशानिर्देशों के अनुसार सात वर्ष तक की सज़ा वाले कुछ मामलों में, निष्पादन से पहले आवेदन देने और अगली तारीख पर उपस्थित होने का वचन देने पर गैर-जमानती वारंट रद्द या जमानती वारंट/समन में बदला जा सकता है।

यदि व्यक्ति फरार हो जाए या छिप जाए, तो न्यायालय धारा 84 BNSS (“फरार व्यक्ति के लिए उद्घोषणा”) के अंतर्गत लिखित उद्घोषणा प्रकाशित कर सकता है, जिसमें कम से कम तीस दिन बाद किसी निश्चित स्थान और समय पर उपस्थित होने को कहा जाता है। न्यायालय धारा 85 के अंतर्गत उसकी संपत्ति कुर्क कर सकता है। यदि अपराध दस वर्ष या अधिक के कारावास, आजीवन कारावास या मृत्युदंड से दंडनीय है और वह उपस्थित नहीं होता, तो उसे उद्घोषित अपराधी (धारा 84(4) के आधिकारिक हिंदी पाठ का शब्द) घोषित किया जा सकता है, और धारा 356 के अंतर्गत उसकी अनुपस्थिति में मुकदमा चल सकता है। उद्घोषणा के बावजूद उपस्थित न होना BNS की धारा 209 के अंतर्गत अपराध है।

BNSS की धारा 227 के परंतुक के अनुसार समन या वारंट इलेक्ट्रॉनिक माध्यम से भी जारी किए जा सकते हैं (धारा 530 भी देखें)। ध्यान दें: IPC की धारा 70 (जुर्माने की वसूली, अब BNS की धारा 8(7)) और BNS की धारा 70 (सामूहिक बलात्कार, gang rape) अलग विषय हैं। ऊपर उद्धृत हिंदी पाठ के अलावा यह सारांश फर्म का अपना सरल विवरण है।

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

Section 70 CrPC is now Section 72 BNSS, without change. A warrant of arrest is a written, signed and sealed order of a court, and it stays in force until it is executed or the issuing court cancels it; there is no expiry date. Whether the person is released at once depends on the endorsement under Section 73, and Sections 74 to 83 govern execution, notice of the warrant, production within 24 hours and arrests in other districts.

The Supreme Court has said that warrants, especially non-bailable ones, must not be issued mechanically, and its 2021 Antil guidelines allow a non-bailable warrant in certain cases (offences punishable with up to seven years, where the accused was not arrested and cooperated) to be cancelled or converted on an application made before it is executed. A warrant that is ignored does not lapse; it can lead to proclamation, attachment and trial in absentia.

Sources used for this post: the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act 46 of 2023), Sections 2(1)(c), (d) and (z), 35, 48, 62, 63, 70, 72 to 85, 88, 90, 91, 92, 227, 356, 478, 480, 482, 488, 489, 522, 528, 530 and 531 and Forms No. 2 to 5 of the Second Schedule (India Code, English text A2023-46.pdf as on 6 October 2025, still the current file on 23 October 2026, and the Hindi text as published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, on India Code); the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Sections 8(7), 70, 132 and 209 (India Code, as on 6 October 2025); the Constitution of India, Article 22(2) (Legislative Department, English edition of 2026); the firm’s Gazette-checked CrPC–BNSS and IPC–BNS comparison data; the Supreme Court’s official copies of Inder Mohan Goswami & Another v. State of Uttaranchal & Others, Criminal Appeal No. 1392 of 2007, 9 October 2007 (official copy), and of the order of 7 October 2021 in Satender Kumar Antil v. Central Bureau of Investigation & Anr., SLP (Crl.) No. 5191 of 2021 (official order).