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Section140
The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Power of Magistrate to furnish written instructions, etc

Repealed From 01 Apr 1974 Act 2 of 1974 As on 17 Oct 2026

Act 2 of 1974 Ministry Home Affairs Enacted 25 Jan 1974 In force 01 Apr 1974

This provision is repealed. Repealed by section 531 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (46 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024. It is reproduced because conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under it.

Section 140 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 deals with power of Magistrate to furnish written instructions, etc. Where the Magistrate directs a local investigation by any person under section 139, the Magistrate may- (a) furnish such person with such written instructions as may seem necessary for his guidance ; 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 Repealed by section 531 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (46 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried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.

(1) Where the Magistrate directs a local investigation by any person under section 139, the Magistrate may-

(a) furnish such person with such written instructions as may seem necessary for his guidance ;

(b) declare by whom the whole or any part of the necessary expenses of the local investigation shall be paid.

(2) The report of such person may be read as evidence in the case.

(3) Where the Magistrate summons and examines an expert under section 139, the Magistrate may direct by whom the costs of such summoning and examination shall be paid.

Section 140, The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Act 2 of 1974).

Now in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita

BNSS 159 Power of Magistrate to furnish written instructions, etc Text carried over almost unchanged 100%

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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.

This section refers to

  1. s. 139 Power of Magistrate to direct local investigation and examination ofan expert

Questions about Section 140

What does Section 140 of the Code of Criminal Procedure deal with?

Section 140 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is headed "Power of Magistrate to furnish written instructions, etc". Where the Magistrate directs a local investigation by any person under section 139, the Magistrate may- (a) furnish such person with such written instructions as may seem necessary for his guidance ;

How do I find court cases under Section 140 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 140, section 140 CRPC, section 140 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 140 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on section 139 (Power of Magistrate to direct local investigation and examination ofan expert), so none of them can safely be read on its own. For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BNSS 159 (Power of Magistrate to furnish written instructions, etc), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.

When did Section 140 of the Code of Criminal Procedure come into force?

Section 140 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, cited as CRPC 140, 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

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.