Court to be open.

What this section does

Criminal Courts are deemed open courts to which the public generally may have access, subject to the presiding Judge or Magistrate's power to exclude the public or any particular person at any stage. Inquiries and trials for rape and specified sexual offences under the BNS 2023 and the POCSO Act 2012 must be conducted in camera, preferably by a woman Judge or Magistrate, and no person may print or publish any matter relating to such proceedings without prior court permission, though the ban on publication of rape trial proceedings may be lifted subject to maintaining confidentiality of the parties' names and addresses.

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

Procedure at a glance

Key actors

Presiding Judge · Magistrate · Public · Media

Time limit

None specified

Derived from CrPC s.327.