BNSS · Section 397 · Chapter XXIX — THE JUDGMENT

Treatment of victims.

What this section does

All hospitals, whether public or private and regardless of who runs them, are mandated to immediately provide first-aid or medical treatment free of cost to victims of specified sexual offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. Hospitals must also immediately inform the police of such incidents.

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

Procedure at a glance

Key actors: Hospital (public or private) · Victim · Police
Time limit: Treatment to be provided immediately

Old-law correspondence

Derived from CrPC s.357C.

Read the official text

For the binding statutory text of BNSS Section 397, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.

Why this matters

BNSS Section 397 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.