Printing or publishing any matter relating to Court proceedings without permission
What this section does
This section makes it an offence to print or publish any matter relating to court proceedings concerning the offences referred to in section 72 without the prior permission of the court. Publication of judgments of the High Court or Supreme Court is expressly excluded from the offence.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
Quick reference
- Punishment
- Imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, and fine.
- Triable by
- Magistrate of First Class
- Cognizable
- No
- Bailable
- Yes
- Compoundable
- No
Ingredients (what prosecution must prove)
- Accused printed or published matter relating to proceedings before a court
- The proceedings concerned an offence referred to in section 72
- The printing or publication was done without the previous permission of such court
Practitioner note
The Explanation expressly carves out publication of judgments of any High Court or the Supreme Court from the scope of this offence.
Derived from IPC s.228A.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNS Section 73, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNS Section 73 forms part of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita which replaced the Indian Penal Code 1860 on 1 July 2024. Any new filing, FIR, charge sheet, or bail application made on or after that date should cite the new section number. References to the old act in legacy documents remain valid for matters that arose before the changeover.