Discharge of person informed against
Section 137 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 deals with discharge of person informed against. If, on an inquiry under section 135, it is not proved that it is necessary for keeping the peace or maintaining good behaviour, as the case may be, that the person in respect of whom the inquiry is made, should execute a bond, the Magistrate shall make an entry on the record to that effect, and if s The Act came into force on 01 Jul 2024.
If, on an inquiry under section 135, it is not proved that it is necessary for keeping the peace or maintaining good behaviour, as the case may be, that the person in respect of whom the inquiry is made, should execute a bond, the Magistrate shall make an entry on the record to that effect, and if such person is in custody only for the purposes of the inquiry, shall release him, or, if such person is not in custody, shall discharge him.
Section 137, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act 46 of 2023).
Replaces a provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure
CRPC 118 Discharge of person informed against Text carried over almost unchanged 100%
Measured by comparing the text of the two provisions, not taken from an official correspondence table — there is no machine-readable one. See both texts side by side before relying on it.
Both regimes are live. The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force. We never redirect one to the other.
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Mente Seethaiah vs The Sub Divisional Magistrate/revenue Divisional Officer
Decided under Code of Criminal Procedure 118, which this section replaces. The court did not have this Act before it.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Procedural safeguards mandated under Sections 111 and 114 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 are essential protections against arbitrary action and undue harassment of citizens. Non-compliance with these provisions—specifically the failure to pass a preliminary order under Section 111 before issuing summons under Section 113, and the failure to serve such order along with the summons—vitiates the summons with illegality. Additionally, when the statutory six-month period for completing inquiry under Section 118(6) CrPC expires without completion and without recording special reasons, the continuation of proceedings constitutes abuse of process of court and warrants quashing under Section 482 CrPC.
On this section: Inquiry into truth of information on which Section 111 order is passed must be completed within six months; if not completed, proceedings stand terminated unless special reasons recorded
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 137
What have the courts held on Section 137 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita?
Mente Seethaiah vs The Sub Divisional Magistrate/revenue Divisional Officer (28 Aug 2012) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below, though it was decided under CRPC 118, which this section replaced -- the court never mentioned this Act: Inquiry into truth of information on which Section 111 order is passed must be completed within six months; if not completed, proceedings stand terminated unless special reasons recorded.
How do I find court cases under Section 137 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: BNSS 137, section 137 BNSS, section 137 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. People searching for it also type bnss 137 2 in hindi and bns 137 2 in ipc. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Mente Seethaiah vs The Sub Divisional Magistrate/revenue Divisional Officer (28 Aug 2012).
What should I read with Section 137 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 135 (Inquiry as to truth of information), so none of them can safely be read on its own. It carries forward CrPC 118 (Discharge of person informed against), so the judgments decided under that provision are the case law on this one.
When did Section 137 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita come into force?
Section 137 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, cited as BNSS 137, came into force on 01 Jul 2024, having been enacted on 25 Dec 2023. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 359. Compounding of offences1355 words
- 187. Procedure when investigation cannot be completed in twenty-four hours1122 words
- 2. Definitions956 words
- 243. Trial for more than one offence930 words
- 35. When police may arrest without warrant881 words
- 480. When bail may be taken in case of non-bailable offence823 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.