Procedure where no claimant appears within six months
Section 504 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 deals with procedure where no claimant appears within six months. If no person within such period establishes his claim to such property, and if the person in whose possession such property was found is unable to show that it was legally acquired by him, the Magistrate may by order direct that such property shall be at the disposal of the State Government and may The Act came into force on 01 Jul 2024.
(1) If no person within such period establishes his claim to such property, and if the person in whose possession such property was found is unable to show that it was legally acquired by him, the Magistrate may by order direct that such property shall be at the disposal of the State Government and may be sold by that Government and the proceeds of such sale shall be dealt with in such manner as the State Government may, by rules, provide.
(2) An appeal shall lie against any such order to the Court to which appeals ordinarily lie from convictions by the Magistrate.
Section 504, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act 46 of 2023).
Replaces a provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure
CRPC 458 Procedure where no claimant appears within six months Text carried over almost unchanged 96%
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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.
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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G.suma vs The State of Ap.
Decided under Code of Criminal Procedure 458, which this section replaces. The court did not have this Act before it.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Interim custody of seized property can be granted to a legal heir or interested party pending criminal trial, subject to: (a) preparation of detailed panchanama with photographs; (b) furnishing of adequate security through immovable property bonds; (c) execution of undertaking to produce property as and when required; (d) undertaking that photographs and panchanama may be marked as evidence if property cannot be produced at trial; and (e) compliance with other terms and conditions imposed by the Court. The property remains under custodia legis and Court's control, and the owner should not suffer merely because the property is seized as evidence in a criminal case.
On this section: Confiscation of property if no person with claim appears after proclamation
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 504
What have the courts held on Section 504 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita?
G.suma vs The State of Ap. (22 Jul 2014) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below, though it was decided under CRPC 458, which this section replaced -- the court never mentioned this Act: Confiscation of property if no person with claim appears after proclamation.
How do I find court cases under Section 504 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 504, section 504 BNSS, section 504 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. People searching for it also type bns 504 506 in hindi and 504 bnss act. 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 G.suma vs The State of Ap. (22 Jul 2014).
What should I read with Section 504 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and has it changed?
4 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. It carries forward CrPC 458 (Procedure where no claimant appears within six months), so the judgments decided under that provision are the case law on this one.
When did Section 504 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita come into force?
Section 504 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, cited as BNSS 504, 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.