BNSS · Section 33 · Chapter IV — POWERS OF SUPERIOR OFFICERS OF POLICE AND AID TO THE MAGISTRATES AND THE POLICE

Public to give information of certain offences.

What this section does

Every person aware of the commission of, or intention to commit, any of the specified serious offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 is obligated to forthwith inform the nearest Magistrate or police officer. The duty extends to acts committed outside India that would constitute such offences if committed in India.

AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).

Procedure at a glance

Key actors: General public · Magistrate · Police officer
Time limit: Forthwith (immediate)

Old-law correspondence

Derived from CrPC s.39.

Read the official text

For the binding statutory text of BNSS Section 33, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.

Why this matters

BNSS Section 33 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.