Power to stop proceedings in certain cases.
What this section does
In a summons-case instituted otherwise than on complaint, a first-class Magistrate (or any other Judicial Magistrate with the Chief Judicial Magistrate's prior sanction) may stop proceedings at any stage for recorded reasons without pronouncing judgment. If stopped after principal witnesses have been examined, the Magistrate shall pronounce an acquittal; otherwise the accused is released, which operates as a discharge.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
Procedure at a glance
- Key actors
- Magistrate of the first class · Judicial Magistrate · Chief Judicial Magistrate · Accused
- Time limit
- None specified
Derived from CrPC s.258.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNSS Section 281, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNSS Section 281 forms part of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita which replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 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.