Local inquiry
Section 167 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 deals with local inquiry. Whenever a local inquiry is necessary for the purposes of section 164, section 165 or section 166, a District Magistrate or Sub-divisional Magistrate may depute any Magistrate subordinate to him to make the inquiry, and may furnish him with such written instructions as may seem necessary for his gui The Act came into force on 01 Jul 2024.
(1) Whenever a local inquiry is necessary for the purposes of section 164, section 165 or section 166, a District Magistrate or Sub-divisional Magistrate may depute any Magistrate subordinate to him to make the inquiry, and may furnish him with such written instructions as may seem necessary for his guidance, and may declare by whom the whole or any part of the necessary expenses of the inquiry shall be paid.
(2) The report of the person so deputed may be read as evidence in the case.
(3) When any costs have been incurred by any party to a proceeding under section 164, section 165 or section 166, the Magistrate passing a decision may direct by whom such costs shall be paid, whether by such party or by any other party to the proceeding, and whether in whole or in part or proportion and such costs may include any expenses incurred in respect of witnesses and of advocates' fees, which the Court may consider reasonable.
Section 167, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act 46 of 2023).
Replaces a provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure
CRPC 148 Local inquiry 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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Questions about Section 167
What does Section 167 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita deal with?
Section 167 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita is headed "Local inquiry". Whenever a local inquiry is necessary for the purposes of section 164, section 165 or section 166, a District Magistrate or Sub-divisional Magistrate may depute any Magistrate subordinate to him to make the inquiry, and may furnish him with such written instructions as may seem necessary for his gui
How do I find court cases under Section 167 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 167, section 167 BNSS, section 167 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. People searching for it also type bnss 167 2 and 167 bnss act. 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 167 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 164 (Procedure where dispute concerning land or water is likely to cause breach of peace), section 165 (Power to attach subject of dispute and to appoint receiver), section 166 (Dispute concerning right of use of land or water), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it. It carries forward CrPC 148 (Local inquiry), so the judgments decided under that provision are the case law on this one.
When did Section 167 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita come into force?
Section 167 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, cited as BNSS 167, 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 14 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.