Power of Magistrate to order person to give specimen signatures or handwriting, etc.
What this section does
A first-class Magistrate, if satisfied it is expedient for any investigation or proceeding, may order any person (including an accused) to give specimen signatures, finger impressions, handwriting, or voice samples at a specified time and place. Ordinarily such an order requires that the person has at some time been arrested in connection with the investigation, but the Magistrate may, for recorded reasons, order a non-arrested person to provide such specimens.
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 · Accused · Investigating officer
Derived from CrPC s.311A.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNSS Section 349, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNSS Section 349 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.