Power to commute sentence.
What this section does
The appropriate Government may, without the consent of the sentenced person, commute one form of punishment to a lesser form: death to life imprisonment; life imprisonment to imprisonment of not less than seven years; imprisonment of seven years or more to not less than three years; imprisonment of less than seven years to fine; and rigorous imprisonment to simple imprisonment.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
Procedure at a glance
- Key actors
- Appropriate Government
- Time limit
- None specified
Derived from CrPC s.433.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNSS Section 474, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNSS Section 474 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.