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Section206
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Special summons in cases of petty offence

Repealed Act 2 of 1974 As on 18 Oct 2026

Read from the scanned gazette. India Code publishes no text for this Act, so the text below was read from the Government's own scan by machine and split into sections by its numbering. It has not been checked against the page word by word. Where it matters, read the scan. Read the scan.

Act 2 of 1974 Cited by 2 provisions

This is a second copy of a Central Act. India Code files it on Tripura's shelf as well as under Parliament, and the text is the same enactment. Read it at The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which is the record this site keeps current.

Read from the scanned gazette. India Code publishes no text for this Act, so this text was read from the Government's own scan by machine and split into sections by its numbering. It has not been checked against the page word by word. Where it matters, read the scan. Read the scan.

Section 206 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 deals with special summons in cases of petty offence. If, in the opinion of a Magistrate taking cognizance of a petty offence, the case may be summarily disposed of under section [or section 261], the Magistrate shall, except where he is, for reasons to be recorded in writing of a contrary opinion, issue summons to the accused requiring him either to a

(1) If, in the opinion of a Magistrate taking cognizance of a petty offence, the case may be summarily disposed of under section 260 [or section 261], the Magistrate shall, except where he is, for reasons to be recorded in writing of a contrary opinion, issue summons to the accused requiring him either to appear in person or by pleader before the Magistrate on a specified date, or if he desires to plead guilty to the charge without appearing before the Magistrate, to transmit before the specified date, by post or by messenger to the Magistrate, the said plea in writing and the amount of fine specified in the summons or if he desires to appear by pleader and to plead guilty to the charge through such pleader, to authorise, in writing, the pleader to plead guilty to the charge on his behalf and to pay the fine through such pleader:

Provided that the amount of the fine specified in such summons shall not exceed 2[one thousand rupees].

(2) For the purposes of this section, "petty offence" means any offence punishable only with fine not exceeding one thousand rupees, but does not include any offence so punishable under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 (4 of 1939)3, or under any other law which provides for convicting the accused person in his absence on a plea of guilty. 4[(3) The State Government may, by notification, specially empower any Magistrate to exercise the powers conferred by sub-section (1) in relation to any offence which is compoundable under section 320 or any offence punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or with fine, or with both where the Magistrate is of opinion that, having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case, the imposition of fine only would meet the ends of justice.]

Section 206, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Act 2 of 1974).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

This section refers to

  1. s. 260 Power to try summarily
  2. s. 261 Summary trial by Magistrate of the second class
  3. s. 320 Compounding of offences

Referred to by 2

  1. s. 253 Conviction on plea of guilty in absence of accused in petty cases
  2. s. 484 Repeal and savings

Questions about Section 206

What does Section 206 of the Code of Criminal Procedure deal with?

Section 206 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is headed "Special summons in cases of petty offence". If, in the opinion of a Magistrate taking cognizance of a petty offence, the case may be summarily disposed of under section [or section 261], the Magistrate shall, except where he is, for reasons to be recorded in writing of a contrary opinion, issue summons to the accused requiring him either to a

How do I find court cases under Section 206 of the Code of Criminal Procedure?

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: Code Criminal Procedure 1973 206, section 206 Code Criminal Procedure 1973, section 206 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. 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 206 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on section 260 (Power to try summarily), section 261 (Summary trial by Magistrate of the second class), section 320 (Compounding of offences), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 2 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it.

When was the Code of Criminal Procedure enacted?

Code of Criminal Procedure was enacted in 1974 as Act 2 of 1974. India Code records no commencement date for it. It is no longer in force.

Other sections of this Act

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. Read from the Government's own scanned gazette with Azure Document Intelligence, then split into sections by their numbering. India Code publishes no text for this Act. The scan itself is mirrored into our own storage and served at /scan/65ae197e-06e1-4b83-a2c4-79fffb837967.pdf, so the reading here can be checked against the page it came from without depending on India Code's own copy staying where it is (it was at https://indiacode.gov.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/3476c537-83fa-4339-9917-27dac92cae0d/content). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.