Bail in India under the BNSS: Meaning of Bail (Jamanat), Types of Bail, Bailable and Non-bailable Offences, and How to Get Bail from Jail

Bail is the release of a person accused or suspected of an offence from the custody of the law, on conditions set by a police officer or a court, after the person signs a bond (a personal undertaking) or a bail bond (an undertaking with a surety). That is the definition in Section 2(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), which replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) on 1 July 2024. The rules on bail are in Chapter XXXV of the BNSS, Sections 478 to 496 (formerly Sections 436 to 450 CrPC). In Hindi, bail is जमानत (jamanat).

The key rule depends on the offence. In a bailable offence, bail is a right: the person “shall be released on bail” (Section 478 BNSS). In a non-bailable offence, bail is in the discretion of the police officer or court (Section 480 BNSS, formerly Section 437 CrPC), and the Court of Session and the High Court have wider powers (Section 483 BNSS, formerly Section 439 CrPC). A person who fears arrest can ask the Court of Session or the High Court for anticipatory bail (Section 482 BNSS, formerly Section 438 CrPC). If the police do not finish the investigation within 60 or 90 days, the accused has to be released on “default” bail (Section 187(3) BNSS, formerly Section 167(2) CrPC). This guide explains each of these, with the bail bond, cancellation, the Supreme Court’s guidance, the steps to get bail from jail and 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 Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 are quoted from their India Code texts as on 6 October 2025 (re-checked on 23 October 2026: no later amendment is shown), the official Hindi wording from the BNSS as printed in the Gazette of India, the Constitution and the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 from India Code, and the judgments from the Supreme Court’s own copies.

What is bail? Meaning of bail, bail bond and bond under the BNSS

The CrPC never defined bail. The BNSS now does. Section 2(1)(b) BNSS: ““bail” means release of a person accused of or suspected of commission of an offence from the custody of law upon certain conditions imposed by an officer or Court on execution by such person of a bond or a bail bond”.

Two more definitions explain the paperwork. ““bail bond” means an undertaking for release with surety” (Section 2(1)(d)), and ““bond” means a personal bond or an undertaking for release without surety” (Section 2(1)(e)). A surety is a person who promises the court that the accused will appear, and who agrees to pay the sum named in the bond if he does not (Section 485 and Form No. 47 of the Second Schedule to the BNSS).

So “bail from jail” means that a person in police or judicial custody is let out when the police officer or court accepts his bond or bail bond on conditions, usually to attend on every date. He is not acquitted; the case continues.

Term (BNSS)	What it means	Section
Bail (जमानत)	Release from the custody of law on conditions, on executing a bond or bail bond	2(1)(b)
Bail bond (जमानतपत्र)	Undertaking for release with surety	2(1)(d)
Bond (बंधपत्र)	Personal bond or undertaking for release without surety	2(1)(e)
Bailable offence (जमानतीय अपराध)	Shown as bailable in the First Schedule, or made bailable by another law	2(1)(c)
Non-bailable offence (अजमानतीय अपराध)	Any other offence	2(1)(c)

Bailable and non-bailable offences

Section 2(1)(c) BNSS: ““bailable offence” means an offence which is shown as bailable in the First Schedule, or which is made bailable by any other law for the time being in force; and “non-bailable offence” means any other offence”. To find out whether an offence is bailable, look at the fifth column of Part I of the First Schedule for offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), or the special law that creates the offence.

For offences under other laws that do not say whether the offence is bailable, Part II of the First Schedule uses the punishment:

Offence under another law punishable with	Cognizable?	Bailable?	Triable by
Death, imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for more than 7 years	Cognizable	Non-bailable	Court of Session
Imprisonment for 3 years and upwards but not more than 7 years	Cognizable	Non-bailable	Magistrate of the first class
Imprisonment for less than 3 years or fine only	Non-cognizable	Bailable	Any Magistrate

“Cognizable” and “bailable” are different questions. Cognizable only means a police officer may arrest without warrant (Explanatory Note to the First Schedule). Some cognizable offences are bailable. The examples below are taken from Part I of the First Schedule:

Offence (BNS)	Cognizable?	Bailable?
Murder, Section 103(1) BNS (formerly Section 302 IPC)	Cognizable	Non-bailable (Court of Session)
Theft, Section 303(2) BNS (formerly Section 379 IPC)	Cognizable	Non-bailable; but theft of property worth less than 5,000 rupees, where the property is returned or its value restored, is non-cognizable and bailable
Cruelty to a married woman, Section 85 BNS (formerly Section 498A IPC)	Cognizable (on information by the woman or a relative, or a notified public servant)	Non-bailable
Voluntarily causing grievous hurt, Section 117(2) BNS (formerly Section 325 IPC)	Cognizable	Bailable
Voluntarily causing hurt, Section 115(2) BNS (formerly Section 323 IPC)	Non-cognizable	Bailable

For the full position on murder and theft, see our posts on Section 302 IPC (now Section 103 BNS) and Section 379 IPC (now Section 303 BNS). Any old IPC or CrPC section can be matched to its new section with our IPC to BNS and CrPC to BNSS comparison tool.

Types of bail in India

The BNSS does not list “types of bail”, but its sections, and the Supreme Court’s judgments, give these forms of bail. The words “regular bail”, “interim bail”, “transit bail” and “default bail” are not used in the BNSS; they are the names used in courts and in judgments for the reliefs shown.

Type	When	Who grants	Section
Bail in a bailable offence	After arrest or on appearance; a right	Officer in charge of the police station or court	478 BNSS (formerly 436 CrPC)
Regular bail in a non-bailable offence	After arrest or on appearance; discretionary	Police officer in charge or Magistrate; Court of Session or High Court	480 and 483 BNSS (formerly 437 and 439 CrPC)
Anticipatory bail	Before arrest, for a non-bailable offence	Court of Session or High Court	482 BNSS (formerly 438 CrPC)
Interim bail	For a limited time while the bail or anticipatory bail application is pending	The court hearing the application	Judgments (see below)
Transit anticipatory bail	FIR registered in another State; short protection to approach the right court	Court of Session or High Court where the person is	Priya Indoria v. State of Karnataka (2023)
Default bail	Investigation not completed in 60 or 90 days	Magistrate	187(3) BNSS (formerly 167(2) CrPC)
Release of under-trial prisoners	Detention up to one-half (first-time offender: one-third) of the maximum sentence	Court	479 BNSS (formerly 436A CrPC)
Bail after conviction, pending appeal	After conviction, while an appeal is pending	Appellate Court; convicting court for short periods	430 BNSS (formerly 389 CrPC)

Bail in bailable offences – Section 478 BNSS

In a bailable offence, bail cannot be refused at the first stage. Section 478(1) BNSS (formerly Section 436 CrPC): “When any person other than a person accused of a non-bailable offence is arrested or detained without warrant by an officer in charge of a police station, or appears or is brought before a Court, and is prepared at any time while in the custody of such officer or at any stage of the proceeding before such Court to give bail, such person shall be released on bail”.

Poverty is not a reason to keep a person in jail. The officer or court “may, and shall, if such person is indigent and is unable to furnish surety, instead of taking bail bond from such person, discharge him on his executing a bond for his appearance”. The Explanation adds: “Where a person is unable to give bail bond within a week of the date of his arrest, it shall be a sufficient ground for the officer or the Court to presume that he is an indigent person”.

The police must tell the arrested person about this right. Under Section 47(2) BNSS (formerly Section 50 CrPC), a police officer who arrests without warrant a person not accused of a non-bailable offence “shall inform the person arrested that he is entitled to be released on bail and that he may arrange for sureties on his behalf”.

The right can be lost. If the person later breaks the conditions of the bond “as regards the time and place of attendance”, the court may refuse bail on a later occasion in the same case, and may make the person bound by the bond pay its penalty (Section 478(2) BNSS).

Bail in non-bailable offences – Section 480 BNSS

In a non-bailable offence, bail is not a right but it is not barred either. Section 480(1) BNSS (formerly Section 437 CrPC) says that a person accused or suspected of a non-bailable offence who is arrested without warrant by an officer in charge of a police station, or appears or is brought before a court other than the High Court or Court of Session, “may be released on bail”. So the officer in charge of the police station and the Magistrate can both grant bail in a non-bailable offence, within these limits:

• The person “shall not be so released if there appear reasonable grounds for believing that he has been guilty of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life” (Section 480(1)(i)).
• The person shall not be released in a cognizable offence if he was earlier convicted of an offence punishable with death, life or seven years or more, or convicted on two or more occasions of a cognizable offence punishable with three years or more but less than seven years (Section 480(1)(ii)).

The provisos soften these limits. The court may release a person covered by either clause “if such person is a child or is a woman or is sick or infirm”, and a person covered by clause (ii) “for any other special reason”. Being needed for identification by witnesses, or “for police custody beyond the first fifteen days”, is not by itself a ground to refuse bail. For offences punishable with death, life imprisonment or seven years or more, the Public Prosecutor must be heard first.

Other parts of Section 480 matter in practice:

• No reasonable grounds for the non-bailable offence, but grounds for further inquiry: the accused “shall” be released (Section 480(2)).
• For offences punishable with seven years or more, and offences under Chapters VI, VII and XVII of the BNS (offences affecting the human body, against the State and against property), the court “shall impose” conditions to attend, not to commit a similar offence, and not to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence (Section 480(3)).
• Reasons for releasing must be recorded (Section 480(4)).
• A Magistrate’s trial not concluded within sixty days from the first date fixed for evidence: an accused in custody throughout “shall” be released unless the Magistrate records reasons (Section 480(6)).

Sessions Court and High Court – Section 483 BNSS

The Court of Session and the High Court are not bound by the limits in Section 480(1). Section 483(1) BNSS (formerly Section 439 CrPC) lets them direct “that any person accused of an offence and in custody be released on bail”, with conditions, and “that any condition imposed by a Magistrate when releasing any person on bail be set aside or modified”. This is why a person whose bail is refused by a Magistrate, or who is accused of an offence triable only by the Court of Session, applies to the Sessions Court, and then to the High Court.

Before granting bail in an offence triable exclusively by the Court of Session or punishable with imprisonment for life, these courts must give notice of the application to the Public Prosecutor, unless that is not practicable for reasons recorded in writing. In offences under Section 65 BNS (rape of a woman under sixteen or under twelve) and Section 70(2) BNS (gang rape of a woman under eighteen), notice must go to the Public Prosecutor within fifteen days of receipt of the notice of the application, and “the presence of the informant or any person authorised by him shall be obligatory at the time of hearing” (Section 483(1), second proviso, and Section 483(2)).

The Supreme Court explained in Prabhakar Tewari v. State of U.P. (2020) that the seriousness of the offence and other pending cases do not by themselves decide the matter: “The offence alleged no doubt is grave and serious and there are several criminal cases pending against the accused. These factors by themselves cannot be the basis for refusal of prayer for bail.”

Anticipatory bail – Section 482 BNSS

Anticipatory bail is a direction, given before arrest, that the person shall be released on bail if he is arrested. Section 482(1) BNSS (formerly Section 438 CrPC): “When any person has reason to believe that he may be arrested on an accusation of having committed a non-bailable offence, he may apply to the High Court or the Court of Session for a direction under this section; and that Court may, if it thinks fit, direct that in the event of such arrest, he shall be released on bail.”

The court may attach conditions, including that the person “shall make himself available for interrogation by a police officer as and when required”, shall not induce or threaten witnesses, “shall not leave India without the previous permission of the Court”, and the conditions of Section 480(3) (Section 482(2)). If he is then arrested without warrant and is ready to give bail, “he shall be released on bail”, and a Magistrate who decides to issue a warrant must issue a bailable warrant (Section 482(3)).

Section 482(4) – where anticipatory bail is not available. “Nothing in this section shall apply to any case involving the arrest of any person on accusation of having committed an offence under section 65 and sub-section (2) of section 70 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.” Section 65 BNS punishes rape of a woman under sixteen years (Section 65(1), formerly Section 376(3) IPC) and under twelve years (Section 65(2), formerly Section 376AB IPC); Section 70(2) BNS punishes gang rape of a woman under eighteen years (formerly Sections 376DA and 376DB IPC).

How long anticipatory bail lasts – Sushila Aggarwal (2020)

A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court settled this in Sushila Aggarwal v. State (NCT of Delhi), decided on 29 January 2020. Its final conclusions say that the protection “should not invariably be limited to a fixed period; it should inure in favour of the accused without any restriction on time”, and that the life of an anticipatory bail order “does not end normally at the time and stage when the accused is summoned by the court, or when charges are framed, but can continue till the end of the trial”. If a case has “special or peculiar features”, the court may still limit the time.

The same judgment gave guidance that applies to applications under Section 482 BNSS, the successor of Section 438 CrPC:

• The application “should be based on concrete facts (and not vague or general allegations) relatable to one or other specific offence”; it need not wait for an FIR.
• An order should not be “blanket”; it “cannot operate in respect of a future incident that involves commission of an offence”, and it does not limit the police’s duty to investigate.
• If the accused breaks a condition, the police may ask the court that granted anticipatory bail to direct his arrest.

The Constitution Bench also overruled the observations in Siddharam Satlingappa Mhetre v. State of Maharashtra “that no restrictive conditions at all can be imposed, while granting anticipatory bail”, and the decisions that limited anticipatory bail to a fixed period of time.

Transit anticipatory bail – FIR in another State

The BNSS does not mention transit bail. The Supreme Court recognised it in Priya Indoria v. State of Karnataka (20 November 2023): a person cannot get full anticipatory bail in his home State for an FIR registered in another State, but he may seek “transit anticipatory bail which is an interim protection of limited duration till such accused approaches the competent Sessions Court or the High Court”. The Court laid down conditions: notice to the investigating officer and the Public Prosecutor of the other State on the first date of hearing (with discretion to grant interim protection), reasons in the order, and proof that the applicant is unable to approach the court with jurisdiction. It said the power should be used “in exceptional and compelling circumstances only”.

Interim bail

“Interim bail” is not defined in the BNSS. In judgments it means bail for a limited time while the court decides the main bail or anticipatory bail application. In Satender Kumar Antil v. CBI (2022), the Supreme Court accepted that “while issuing notice to consider bail, the trial Court is not precluded from granting interim bail taking into consideration the conduct of the accused during the investigation which has not warranted arrest”, and said that in offences punishable with seven years or less, bail applications of accused who were not arrested during investigation and who cooperated “may be decided w/o the accused being taken in physical custody or by granting interim bail till the bail application is decided”. Sushila Aggarwal (2020) speaks of “limited interim anticipatory bail”.

Default bail – Section 187(3) BNSS (60 or 90 days)

When the police cannot finish the investigation within 24 hours, they must take the accused to a Magistrate, who may authorise further detention (Section 187 BNSS, formerly Section 167 CrPC). Under Section 187(2) the Magistrate may authorise detention in such custody as he thinks fit “for a term not exceeding fifteen days in the whole, or in parts, at any time during the initial forty days or sixty days out of detention period of sixty days or ninety days”. But the total detention has an outer limit. Section 187(3) BNSS says no Magistrate shall authorise detention “for a total period exceeding—

• (i) ninety days, where the investigation relates to an offence punishable with death, imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a term of ten years or more;
• (ii) sixty days, where the investigation relates to any other offence,

and, on the expiry of the said period of ninety days, or sixty days, as the case may be, the accused person shall be released on bail if he is prepared to and does furnish bail”. Explanation I adds that, even after the period expires, “the accused shall be detained in custody so long as he does not furnish bail”.

It is called default bail because it follows from the investigating agency’s default. In Satender Kumar Antil (2022) the Supreme Court said of the same right under Section 167(2) CrPC: “The right enshrined is an absolute and indefeasible one, inuring to the benefit of suspect.” Under the CrPC, which said “imprisonment for a term of not less than ten years”, the Supreme Court held in Rajeev Chaudhary v. State (N.C.T.) of Delhi (4 May 2001) that “the expression “not less than” would mean imprisonment should be 10 years or more”, so that extortion under Section 386 IPC, punishable with imprisonment which “may extend to 10 years”, fell under the 60-day limit. In Antil (2022) the Supreme Court quoted its judgment in M. Ravindran v. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (2021), which recorded that in Rakesh Kumar Paul v. State of Assam (2017) “the 90-day limit is only available in respect of offences where a minimum ten year’ imprisonment period is stipulated”. The BNSS says “imprisonment for a term of ten years or more”; we have not found an official Supreme Court ruling on how these words apply to an offence punishable with imprisonment that may extend to ten years.

Release of under-trial prisoners – Section 479 BNSS (one-half and one-third rule)

Section 479 BNSS (formerly Section 436A CrPC) limits how long an under-trial prisoner can stay in jail. Section 479(1): “Where a person has, during the period of investigation, inquiry or trial under this Sanhita of an offence under any law (not being an offence for which the punishment of death or life imprisonment has been specified as one of the punishments under that law) undergone detention for a period extending up to one-half of the maximum period of imprisonment specified for that offence under that law, he shall be released by the Court on bail”.

The BNSS added a shorter period for first-time offenders. The first proviso to Section 479(1): “Provided that where such person is a first-time offender (who has never been convicted of any offence in the past) he shall be released on bond by the Court, if he has undergone detention for the period extending up to one-third of the maximum period of imprisonment specified for such offence under that law”.

After hearing the Public Prosecutor and for written reasons, the court may order continued detention beyond one-half, or release on a bail bond instead of a bond (second proviso), but no one may be detained “for more than the maximum period of imprisonment provided for the said offence” (third proviso). Delay caused by the accused is excluded (Explanation). Where cases “in more than one offence or in multiple cases” are pending against the person, “he shall not be released on bail by the Court” under this section (Section 479(2)). The jail Superintendent “shall forthwith make an application in writing to the Court” when one-half or one-third is completed (Section 479(3)).

The Supreme Court has been monitoring the use of this “beneficial provision of Section 479” in In Re: Inhuman Conditions in 1382 Prisons. In its order of 23 August 2024 it recorded the Union Government’s statement, made through the Additional Solicitor General, that the provision “shall apply to all undertrials in pending cases irrespective of whether the case was registered against them before 01st July, 2024”, and directed “immediate implementation of Section 479 of the BNSS” by asking jail Superintendents to apply to the courts on completion of one-half or one-third of the period. In its order of 10 December 2024 it asked State Legal Services Authorities to send panel lawyers to visit under-trials and help them get released, asked each district’s Undertrial Review Committee to keep monitoring, and said “special efforts must be made to ensure the release of all deserving under-trial women prisoners”.

Bail bond, sureties and the bail amount – Sections 484 to 496 BNSS

There is no fixed “bail amount” in the BNSS. Section 484(1) (formerly Section 440 CrPC): “The amount of every bond executed under this Chapter shall be fixed with due regard to the circumstances of the case and shall not be excessive.” Under Section 484(2), “The High Court or the Court of Session may direct that the bail required by a police officer or Magistrate be reduced.” In Antil (2022) the Supreme Court directed that “While insisting upon sureties the mandate of Section 440 of the Code has to be kept in mind”, and asked the High Courts to find under-trial prisoners “who are not able to comply with the bail conditions” and act to facilitate their release.

Section (BNSS)	Formerly (CrPC)	Rule
485	441	The accused signs a bond for the sum the police officer or court thinks sufficient, with one or more sufficient sureties for a bail bond; the bond contains the bail conditions; the court may accept affidavits on the sureties’ fitness or hold an inquiry
486	441A	Every surety must declare to the court the number of persons for whom he has stood surety, including the accused
487	442	Once the bond is executed the person is released; if he is in jail, the court sends an order of release to the jail officer
488	443	If the sureties accepted are or become insufficient, the court may order the person to find sufficient sureties
489	444	A surety may apply to a Magistrate to be discharged; the accused must then find another surety
490	445	The court or officer may allow a deposit of money or Government promissory notes instead of a bond (except a bond for good behaviour)
491	446	If the bond is forfeited, the court may recover the penalty like a fine; a surety who cannot pay may be sent to civil jail for up to six months
492	446A	On forfeiture for breach of a condition, the bonds of the accused and sureties stand cancelled; if there was no sufficient cause for the breach, he cannot again be released on his own bond alone, but may be released on a fresh personal bond with sureties
493	447	Fresh security if a surety becomes insolvent or dies
494	448	From a child, the court may accept a bond executed by sureties only
495	449	Appeal against orders under Section 491 (from a Magistrate’s order to the Sessions Judge)
496	450	The High Court or Court of Session may direct a Magistrate to levy the amount due on a bond for appearance before it

The bond itself follows Form No. 47 of the Second Schedule to the BNSS (“Bond and bail-bond for attendance before officer in charge of police station or Court”). The accused promises to attend “on every day on which any investigation or trial is held” and binds himself “to forfeit to Government the sum of rupees” stated; the surety declares that the accused will attend and binds himself to forfeit the stated sum if he does not.

A common question is how many times one person can stand surety (“एक आदमी कितनी बार जमानत दे सकता है”). The BNSS sets no number. It requires every surety to “make a declaration before the Court as to the number of persons to whom he has stood surety including the accused, giving therein all the relevant particulars” (Section 486), and the court decides whether the surety is “fit or sufficient” (Section 485(4)).

Cancellation of bail and re-arrest

Bail can be withdrawn. The BNSS gives several powers:

• A court that released a person under Section 480(1) or (2) “may, if it considers it necessary so to do, direct that such person be arrested and commit him to custody” (Section 480(5)).
• “A High Court or Court of Session may direct that any person who has been released on bail under this Chapter be arrested and commit him to custody” (Section 483(3), formerly Section 439(2) CrPC).
• If the bond is forfeited for breach of a condition, the bonds “shall stand cancelled” (Section 492), and in a bailable offence the court may refuse bail on a later occasion to a person who did not attend (Section 478(2)).
• After conviction, where the appellant is released on bail pending appeal, “it shall be open to the Public Prosecutor to file an application for the cancellation of the bail” (Section 430(1), second proviso).

Separately, Sushila Aggarwal (2020) notes that an appellate or superior court may set aside a bail order that did not consider material facts, and that this “does not amount to “cancellation””.

Bail after conviction – Section 430 BNSS

A convicted person who appeals can ask the Appellate Court, which may “for reasons to be recorded by it in writing” suspend the sentence and order that he “be released on bail, or on his own bond or bail bond” (Section 430(1) BNSS, formerly Section 389 CrPC). For offences punishable with death, life imprisonment or “a term of not less than ten years”, the Public Prosecutor is heard first. The convicting court must release on bail, for time to appeal, a person on bail sentenced to not more than three years or convicted of a bailable offence, unless there are special reasons (Section 430(3)).

Before the trial ends, the trial court must also take a bond from the accused to appear before the higher court if an appeal is filed against its judgment; “such bond shall be in force for six months” (Section 481 BNSS, formerly Section 437A CrPC).

Supreme Court guidance on bail

The Supreme Court’s 2022 judgment in Satender Kumar Antil v. Central Bureau of Investigation lays down guidelines that “The trial Courts and the High Courts will keep in mind … while considering bail applications”. It begins from the principle “that bail is the rule and jail is the exception”, which rests “on the touchstone of Article 21 of the Constitution of India” (see our post on Article 21). The judgment adopted four categories of offences:

Category	Offences	Approach (where the accused was not arrested during investigation and cooperated)
A	Punishable with imprisonment of 7 years or less, not in B or D	Ordinary summons first, appearance through a lawyer allowed; bail application may be decided without taking the accused into custody, or interim bail till it is decided
B	Punishable with death, imprisonment for life, or more than 7 years	On appearance, bail application decided on merits
C	Under special Acts with stringent bail provisions (the order named the NDPS Act, UAPA, Companies Act and POCSO; it also named Section 45 PMLA, which the Court later said had been mentioned “inadvertently”)	As B and D, plus the special Act’s bail conditions
D	Economic offences not covered by special Acts	On appearance, bail application decided on merits

Among the directions in the judgment (paragraph 73):

• Investigating agencies must comply with Sections 41 and 41A CrPC (now Section 35 BNSS) and with Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar (2014); “The courts will have to satisfy themselves on the compliance of Section 41 and 41A of the Code. Any non-compliance would entitle the accused for grant of bail.”
• “There need not be any insistence of a bail application while considering the application under Section 88, 170, 204 and 209 of the Code” (now Sections 91 and 190 BNSS for the first two).
• “Bail applications ought to be disposed of within a period of two weeks except if the provisions mandate otherwise, with the exception being an intervening application. Applications for anticipatory bail are expected to be disposed of within a period of six weeks”.

Arnesh Kumar (2014), as reproduced in Antil, said that before arresting for an offence punishable with up to seven years, the officer “must put a question to himself, why arrest? Is it really required?” Section 35 BNSS now carries those rules: arrest only if necessary for a listed reason, recorded in writing (Section 35(1)(b)); otherwise a notice of appearance (Section 35(3)); and a person who complies “shall not be arrested” unless the officer records reasons (Section 35(5)).

Arrest at the charge-sheet stage. In Antil (its order of 16 December 2021, reproduced in paragraph 2), the Supreme Court clarified, referring to its judgment in Siddharth v. State of U.P. (2021), that “if during the course of investigation, there has been no cause to arrest the accused, merely because a charge sheet is filed, would not be an ipso facto cause to arrest”. Explaining Siddharth in paragraph 36, it added that where the prosecution does not require custody “there is no need for an arrest when a case is sent to the magistrate under Section 170 of the Code” (now Section 190 BNSS), and “There is not even a need for filing a bail application”.

How to get bail from jail: step by step

The steps below follow the BNSS. The court to approach in Delhi depends on the police station of the FIR; our Find Your Court and District tool shows the district court for each Delhi police station.

1. Arrest and production. The police must tell the arrested person the grounds of arrest and, in a bailable offence, that he is entitled to bail and may arrange sureties (Section 47 BNSS). He must be produced before a Magistrate within twenty-four hours, excluding the journey (Section 58 BNSS; Article 22(2) of the Constitution).
2. Bailable offence. Offer bail to the officer in charge of the police station or to the court; release is a right (Section 478).
3. Non-bailable offence. Apply to the Magistrate (Section 480). If the Magistrate refuses, or the offence is triable by the Court of Session, apply to the Sessions Court, and then the High Court (Section 483).
4. Before arrest. Apply to the Sessions Court or the High Court for anticipatory bail (Section 482).
5. Bail order. The order names the amount of the bond, the number of sureties and the conditions (Sections 480(3), 484 and 485).
6. Bonds and sureties. The accused signs the bond (Form No. 47); the sureties sign and make the declaration under Section 486; the court may check their fitness by affidavit or inquiry (Section 485(4)).
7. Release. Once the bond is executed, the court sends a release order to the jail, and the jail officer releases the person unless he is held in another case (Section 487).

If the accused cannot afford a lawyer, legal aid is available. A person “in custody” is entitled to legal services under Section 12(g) of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, and in a trial or appeal the court “shall assign an advocate for his defence at the expense of the State” where he has no advocate and not sufficient means (Section 341(1) BNSS, formerly Section 304 CrPC).

If bail is refused, the BNSS does not bar a fresh application, and the Court of Session and High Court have their own power to grant bail (Section 483). Sections 480(6) and 479 give separate routes to release after time in custody.

CrPC to BNSS: bail sections compared

The BNSS came into force on 1 July 2024. Under Section 531(2)(a) BNSS, an appeal, application, trial, inquiry or investigation pending immediately before that date continues under the CrPC “as if this Sanhita had not come into force”. The new section numbers are:

Subject	CrPC, 1973	BNSS, 2023
Definitions (bailable offence; bail, bail bond and bond new in BNSS)	2(a)	2(1)(b) to (e)
Arrest without warrant; notice of appearance	41, 41A	35
Right to be told of grounds of arrest and right to bail	50	47
Default bail (60/90 days)	167(2)	187(3)
Bail pending appeal	389	430
Bail in bailable offences	436	478
Maximum detention of under-trial prisoners	436A	479
Bail in non-bailable offences	437	480
Bond to appear before Appellate Court	437A	481
Anticipatory bail	438	482
Special powers of High Court and Court of Session	439	483
Amount of bond and its reduction	440	484
Bonds and sureties to cancellation and appeals	441 to 450	485 to 496
Inherent powers of the High Court	482	528

If a vehicle, mobile phone or other article has been seized in the case, its interim release is a separate application: see our guide on the superdari application under Section 497 BNSS.

Bail and criminal cases at Century Law Firm

Century Law Firm, at Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi, handles criminal cases in Delhi’s district courts, including bail and anticipatory bail applications and the trials that follow. Details are on the firm’s criminal cases page, and its other areas of work on the practice areas page.

जमानत (बेल) क्या है और जेल से जमानत कैसे मिलती है – हिंदी में सारांश (Summary in Hindi)

यह सारांश सेंचुरी लॉ फर्म द्वारा सरल हिंदी में तैयार किया गया है। उद्धरण चिह्नों में दिए गए शब्द भारतीय नागरिक सुरक्षा संहिता, 2023 के आधिकारिक हिंदी पाठ (भारत का राजपत्र) से हैं; बाकी पाठ फर्म का अपना सारांश है।

जमानत क्या है (jamanat kya hai): भारतीय नागरिक सुरक्षा संहिता (बीएनएसएस) की धारा 2(1)(ख) के आधिकारिक हिंदी पाठ के अनुसार ““जमानत” से किसी अधिकारी या न्यायालय द्वारा अधिरोपित कतिपय शर्तों पर किसी अपराध के कारित किए जाने के अभियुक्त या संदिग्ध व्यक्ति द्वारा किसी बंधपत्र या जमानतपत्र के निष्पादन पर विधि की अभिरक्षा से ऐसे व्यक्ति का छोड़ा जाना अभिप्रेत है”। सरल शब्दों में, जमानत का अर्थ है कि आरोपी व्यक्ति को कुछ शर्तों पर पुलिस या जेल की हिरासत से छोड़ दिया जाता है, और मुकदमा चलता रहता है। “जमानतपत्र” का अर्थ है प्रतिभूति (जमानतदार) के साथ छोड़े जाने के लिए वचनबंध, और “बंधपत्र” का अर्थ है प्रतिभूति के बिना छोड़े जाने के लिए वैयक्तिक बंधपत्र (धारा 2(1)(घ) और (ङ))। ये परिभाषाएं 1 जुलाई 2024 से लागू हैं, जब बीएनएसएस ने दंड प्रक्रिया संहिता, 1973 (सीआरपीसी) का स्थान लिया।

जमानतीय और अजमानतीय अपराध: जो अपराध बीएनएसएस की प्रथम अनुसूची में जमानतीय दिखाया गया है, या किसी अन्य कानून ने जमानतीय बनाया है, वह “जमानतीय अपराध” है; बाकी सभी अपराध “अजमानतीय अपराध” हैं (धारा 2(1)(ग))। उदाहरण के लिए हत्या (धारा 103(1) बीएनएस) अजमानतीय है, जबकि साधारण चोट (धारा 115(2) बीएनएस) जमानतीय है।

जमानतीय अपराध में जमानत (धारा 478): ऐसे अपराध में जमानत अधिकार है – व्यक्ति जमानत देने के लिए तैयार हो तो उसे “जमानत पर छोड़ दिया जाएगा”। जो व्यक्ति निर्धन है और प्रतिभू नहीं दे सकता, उसे अपने बंधपत्र पर छोड़ा जाएगा; गिरफ्तारी के एक सप्ताह के भीतर जमानतपत्र न दे पाने पर उसे निर्धन माना जा सकता है।

अजमानतीय अपराध में जमानत (धारा 480 और 483): यहां जमानत अधिकार नहीं, बल्कि पुलिस अधिकारी या न्यायालय के विवेक पर है। मजिस्ट्रेट उस व्यक्ति को जमानत नहीं दे सकता जिसके बारे में यह मानने के उचित आधार हों कि वह मृत्यु या आजीवन कारावास से दंडनीय अपराध का दोषी है – लेकिन शिशु, महिला, रोगी या शिथिलांग व्यक्ति को छूट मिल सकती है। सेशन न्यायालय और उच्च न्यायालय किसी भी अपराध में जमानत दे सकते हैं (धारा 483)। मजिस्ट्रेट से जमानत खारिज होने पर सेशन न्यायालय में, और फिर उच्च न्यायालय में आवेदन किया जाता है।

अग्रिम जमानत (धारा 482): जिस व्यक्ति को अजमानतीय अपराध में गिरफ्तारी की आशंका है, वह सेशन न्यायालय या उच्च न्यायालय में आवेदन कर सकता है कि गिरफ्तारी होने पर उसे जमानत पर छोड़ दिया जाए। आधिकारिक हिंदी पाठ में इस धारा का शीर्षक है “गिरफ्तारी की आशंका करने वाले व्यक्ति की जमानत मंजूर करने के लिए निदेश”; “अग्रिम जमानत” शब्द बोलचाल का है। सोलह वर्ष से कम आयु की बालिका से बलात्संग (धारा 65 बीएनएस) और अठारह वर्ष से कम आयु की बालिका से सामूहिक बलात्संग (धारा 70(2) बीएनएस) के मामलों में यह धारा लागू नहीं होती (धारा 482(4))। सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने सुशीला अग्रवाल (2020) में कहा कि अग्रिम जमानत सामान्यतः किसी तय अवधि तक सीमित नहीं होती और मुकदमे के अंत तक चल सकती है।

डिफ़ॉल्ट जमानत (धारा 187(3)): यदि पुलिस मृत्यु, आजीवन कारावास या दस वर्ष या अधिक के कारावास से दंडनीय अपराध में 90 दिन के भीतर, और अन्य अपराधों में 60 दिन के भीतर, जांच पूरी नहीं करती, तो आरोपी जमानत देने को तैयार होने पर जमानत पर छोड़ा जाएगा।

विचाराधीन कैदी (धारा 479): जिस अपराध में मृत्यु या आजीवन कारावास का दंड नहीं है, उसमें अधिकतम सजा की आधी अवधि तक निरोध भोगने पर आरोपी को जमानत पर छोड़ा जाएगा। पहली बार के अपराधी के लिए आधिकारिक हिंदी पाठ कहता है कि वह “न्यायालय द्वारा बंधपत्र पर छोड़ दिया जाएगा, यदि वह उस विधि के अधीन ऐसे अपराध के लिए विनिर्दिष्ट कारावास की अधिकतम अवधि की एक-तिहाई विस्तारित अवधि तक निरोध में रह चुका है”। जेल अधीक्षक को स्वयं न्यायालय में आवेदन करना होता है। न्यायालय लोक अभियोजक को सुनकर, लिखित कारणों से, निरोध जारी रखने का आदेश दे सकता है, और जिस व्यक्ति के विरुद्ध एक से अधिक मामले लंबित हैं, उसे इस धारा के तहत जमानत नहीं मिलती। सुप्रीम कोर्ट के 23 अगस्त 2024 के आदेश में केंद्र सरकार का यह कथन दर्ज है कि यह धारा 1 जुलाई 2024 से पहले दर्ज लंबित मामलों के विचाराधीन कैदियों पर भी लागू होगी। ध्यान दें: धारा 479(1) के अंग्रेज़ी पाठ में “up to one-half” (आधी अवधि तक) लिखा है, जबकि आधिकारिक हिंदी पाठ में “आधे से अधिक की अवधि” लिखा है; यह सारांश अंग्रेज़ी पाठ के अनुसार है।

जमानत की राशि और जमानतदार: धारा 484(1) के आधिकारिक हिंदी पाठ के अनुसार “प्रत्येक बंधपत्र की रकम मामले की परिस्थितियों का सम्यक् ध्यान रखते हुए नियत की जाएगी और अत्यधिक नहीं होगी”। सेशन न्यायालय या उच्च न्यायालय यह राशि घटा सकते हैं। हर जमानतदार को न्यायालय के सामने घोषणा करनी होती है कि वह कितने लोगों का जमानतदार बना है (धारा 486)। कानून में कोई संख्या तय नहीं है।

जमानत रद्द होना: शर्तें तोड़ने पर, जैसे तारीख पर न आना या गवाहों को धमकाना, न्यायालय गिरफ्तारी का निदेश दे सकता है (धारा 480(5) और 483(3))। सजा के बाद अपील लंबित रहने पर अपील न्यायालय सजा निलंबित कर जमानत दे सकता है (धारा 430)।

जमानत कितने दिन में मिलती है: कानून में कोई निश्चित दिन नहीं लिखे हैं, लेकिन सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने सतेंद्र कुमार अंतिल बनाम सीबीआई (2022) में कहा कि जमानत आवेदन सामान्यतः दो सप्ताह में और अग्रिम जमानत आवेदन छह सप्ताह में निपटाए जाने चाहिए। हिरासत में रखा गया व्यक्ति विधिक सेवा प्राधिकरण अधिनियम (Legal Services Authorities Act), 1987 की धारा 12(g) के अंतर्गत निःशुल्क विधिक सहायता का हकदार है।

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

Bail under the BNSS turns on the offence and the stage of the case. In a bailable offence it is a right (Section 478); in a non-bailable offence it is a discretion of the police officer and Magistrate within Section 480, and of the Court of Session and High Court under Section 483; before arrest, anticipatory bail is available from those two courts under Section 482, except for the offences in Section 482(4). The law also gives a route to release in two situations: when the police do not finish the investigation in 60 or 90 days and the accused furnishes bail (Section 187(3)), and when an under-trial has spent one-half, or as a first-time offender one-third, of the maximum sentence in custody, subject to the limits in Section 479.

The bail amount must not be excessive (Section 484), sureties must declare how many people they stand for (Section 486), and breaking the conditions can lead to cancellation and forfeiture. The Supreme Court’s guidance in Satender Kumar Antil (2022), including decisions within two weeks for bail and six weeks for anticipatory bail, and in Sushila Aggarwal (2020) on the duration of anticipatory bail, continues to guide courts applying the BNSS.

Sources used for this post: the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Sections 2(1)(b) to (e), 35, 47, 58, 187, 341, 430, 478 to 496 and 531, the First Schedule (Explanatory Notes, Part I entries for Sections 85, 103(1), 115(2), 117(2) and 303(2) BNS, and Part II) and Form Nos. 47 and 48 of the Second Schedule (India Code, A2023-46.pdf, as on 6 October 2025, re-checked on 23 October 2026), and its official Hindi text as printed in the Gazette of India Extraordinary (India Code file 202346.pdf, Gazette pages 156, 357, 358, 360 and 361); the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Sections 65 and 70 (India Code, as on 6 October 2025); the firm’s Gazette-checked IPC/CrPC to BNS/BNSS mapping; the Constitution of India, Articles 21, 22 and 145(1)(g) (India Code); the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, Section 12 (India Code); the Supreme Court of India’s own copies of Satender Kumar Antil v. Central Bureau of Investigation, M.A. No. 1849 of 2021 in SLP (Crl.) No. 5191 of 2021 (11 July 2022; api.sci.gov.in), reproducing Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar, (2014) 8 SCC 273, and referring to Siddharth v. State of U.P. (Criminal Appeal No. 838 of 2021, 16 August 2021) and quoting M. Ravindran v. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, (2021) 2 SCC 485, on Rakesh Kumar Paul v. State of Assam, (2017) 15 SCC 67; Sushila Aggarwal v. State (NCT of Delhi), SLP (Crl.) Nos. 7281–7282 of 2017 (Constitution Bench, 29 January 2020; api.sci.gov.in); Priya Indoria v. State of Karnataka, 2023 INSC 1008 (20 November 2023; api.sci.gov.in); Prabhakar Tewari v. State of U.P., Criminal Appeal No. 152 of 2020 with No. 153 of 2020 (24 January 2020; api.sci.gov.in); In Re: Inhuman Conditions in 1382 Prisons, W.P. (C) No. 406 of 2013, orders of 23 August 2024 (api.sci.gov.in) and 10 December 2024 (api.sci.gov.in); and the Supreme Court’s judgment in Rajeev Chaudhary v. State (N.C.T.) of Delhi, Criminal Appeal No. 606 of 2001 (4 May 2001, [2001] 3 S.C.R. 508, copy on the High Court of Rajasthan’s website, hcraj.nic.in).