276. (1) Where a summons has been issued under section 229 and the accused desires to plead guilty to the charge without appearing before the Magistrate, he shall transmit to the Magistrate, by post or by messenger, a letter containing his plea and also the amount of fine specified in the summons.
(2) The Magistrate may, in his discretion, convict the accused in his absence, on his plea of guilty and sentence him to pay the fine specified in the summons, and the amount transmitted by the accused shall be adjusted towards that fine, or where an advocate authorised by the accused in this behalf pleads guilty on behalf of the accused, the Magistrate shall record the plea as nearly as possible in the words used by the advocate and may, in his discretion, convict the accused on such plea and sentence him as aforesaid.
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
Section 271 Acquittal or conviction
Section 272 Absence of complainant
Section 273 Compensation for accusation without reasonable cause
Section 274 Substance of accusation to be stated
Section 275 Conviction on plea of guilty
Section 276 Conviction on plea of guilty in absence of accused in petty cases
Section 277 Procedure when not convicted
Section 278 Acquittal or conviction