Executive Magistrates
Section 14 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 deals with executive Magistrates. In every district, the State Government may appoint as many persons as itthinks fit to be Executive Magistrates and shall appoint one of them to be the District Magistrate. The Act came into force on 01 Jul 2024.
(1) In every district, the State Government may appoint as many persons as itthinks fit to be Executive Magistrates and shall appoint one of them to be the District Magistrate.
(2) The State Government may appoint any Executive Magistrate to be an Additional District Magistrate, and such Magistrate shall have such of the powers of a District Magistrate under this Sanhita or under any other law for the time being in force as may be directed by the State Government.
(3) Whenever, in consequence of the office of a District Magistrate becoming vacant, any officer succeeds temporarily to the executive administration of the district, such officer shall, pending the orders of the State Government, exercise all the powers and perform all the duties respectively conferred and imposed by this Sanhita on the District Magistrate.
(4) The State Government may place an Executive Magistrate in charge of a sub-division and may relieve him of the charge as occasion requires; and the Magistrate so placed in charge of a sub-division shall be called the Sub-divisional Magistrate.
(5) The State Government may, by general or special order and subject to such control and directions as it may deem fit to impose, delegate its powers under sub-section (4) to the District Magistrate.
(6) Nothing in this section shall preclude the State Government from conferring, under any law for the time being in force, on a Commissioner of Police all or any of the powers of an Executive Magistrate.
Section 14, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act 46 of 2023).
Replaces a provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure
CRPC 20 Executive Magistrates Text carried over almost unchanged 92%
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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.
Questions about Section 14
What does Section 14 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita deal with?
Section 14 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita is headed "Executive Magistrates". In every district, the State Government may appoint as many persons as itthinks fit to be Executive Magistrates and shall appoint one of them to be the District Magistrate.
How do I find court cases under Section 14 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 14, section 14 BNSS, section 14 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.
What should I read with Section 14 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and has it changed?
It carries forward CrPC 20 (Executive Magistrates), so the judgments decided under that provision are the case law on this one.
When did Section 14 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita come into force?
Section 14 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, cited as BNSS 14, 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.