Contents of bond
Section 120 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 deals with contents of bond. The bond to be executed by any such person shall bind him to keep the peace or to be of good behaviour, as the case may be, and in the latter case the commission or attempt to commit, or the abetment of, any offence punishable with imprisonment, wherever it may be committed, is a breach of the bond. The Act came into force on 01 Apr 1974. Repealed by section 531 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (46 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under it.
The bond to be executed by any such person shall bind him to keep the peace or to be of good behaviour, as the case may be, and in the latter case the commission or attempt to commit, or the abetment of, any offence punishable with imprisonment, wherever it may be committed, is a breach of the bond.
Section 120, The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Act 2 of 1974).
Now in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita
BNSS 139 Contents of bond Text carried over almost unchanged 97%
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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.
Referred to by 1
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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M.s. Khan (mohd Suhail Khan) vs The State of Madhya Pradesh
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Merely because an employee is exonerated in a departmental enquiry, it does not prohibit the prosecuting authority from taking action in accordance with law for criminal offences committed. Departmental proceedings and criminal proceedings are independent and the outcome of one does not determine the outcome of the other.
On this section: The petitioner was also charged under Section 120 Cr.P.C., though the specific application is not detailed in the order.
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Saddam vs State of U.p.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
When an accused has been granted protection under Section 41-A Cr.P.C. but fails to comply with it and does not appear in court after chargesheet is filed and cognizance is taken, resulting in issuance of a non-bailable warrant, no ground exists for granting anticipatory bail under Section 438 Cr.P.C., as established by the Supreme Court in Prem Shankar Prasad v. State of Bihar.
On this section: Cited in the FIR as one of the charges against the applicant
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 120
What have the courts held on Section 120 of the Code of Criminal Procedure?
M.s. Khan (mohd Suhail Khan) vs The State of Madhya Pradesh (08 Oct 2013) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: The petitioner was also charged under Section 120 Cr.P.C., though the specific application is not detailed in the order. Another 1 judgment on this section is set out below. They run from 2013 to 2021.
How do I find court cases under Section 120 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: CRPC 120, section 120 CRPC, section 120 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. People searching for it also type crpc 120b and 120 crpc in bnss. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 2 reported judgments on this section are set out on this page, beginning with M.s. Khan (mohd Suhail Khan) vs The State of Madhya Pradesh (08 Oct 2013).
What should I read with Section 120 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and has it changed?
1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it. For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BNSS 139 (Contents of bond), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.
When did Section 120 of the Code of Criminal Procedure come into force?
Section 120 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, cited as CRPC 120, came into force on 01 Apr 1974, having been enacted on 25 Jan 1974. It is no longer in force.
Other sections of this Act
- 320. Compounding of offences1554 words
- 167. Procedure when investigation cannot be completed in twenty four hours1005 words
- 220. Trial for more than one offence962 words
- 360. Order to release on probation of good conduct or after admonition804 words
- 2. Definitions799 words
- 198. Prosecution for offences against marriage774 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. Recovered from the consolidated text published by India Code (item 330a1099-77ad-4a2e-b22a-769b33398f9e). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.