Section 294 BNSS: Judgment of Court

Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 governs delivery and authentication of the Court's judgment in a plea bargaining case disposed of under Section 293.

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act 46 of 2023) | In force from July 1, 2024

Text of Section 294 BNSS

294. Judgment of Court. The Court shall deliver its judgment in terms of section 293 in the open Court and the same shall be signed by the presiding officer of the Court.

Meaning and scope of Section 294

Section 294 forms part of the BNSS framework on plea bargaining. It deals with the formal delivery of the judgment after the Court has dealt with the case in accordance with Section 293 BNSS.

The provision imposes two express procedural requirements:

  • Delivery in open Court: the judgment must be pronounced openly rather than treated only as an internal or private Court record.
  • Signature of the presiding officer: the judgment must be signed by the judicial officer presiding over the Court.

Accordingly, Section 294 should be read together with Section 293, which regulates disposal of the plea bargaining case, and with the succeeding provisions governing finality, powers of the Court, set-off, savings, use of statements and non-application of the Chapter.

The words "in terms of section 293" link the judgment directly to the disposal mechanism provided by Section 293. In practical terms, Section 293 determines how the Court disposes of the plea bargaining case, while Section 294 specifies how the resulting judgment is formally delivered and authenticated.

Key point: Section 294 is not a general provision governing every criminal judgment. It is a provision within the BNSS plea bargaining Chapter and operates in relation to a judgment arising from the procedure under Section 293.

Corresponding provision under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 294 BNSS broadly corresponds to Section 265F of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which likewise required the plea bargaining judgment to be delivered in open Court and signed by the presiding officer. Under the BNSS, the cross-reference is now to Section 293.

Commencement of the BNSS

The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 was enacted as Act 46 of 2023. The Central Government appointed July 1, 2024 as the date on which the BNSS came into force, subject to the notified exception concerning the First Schedule entry relating to Section 106(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Section 291 - Guidelines for mutually satisfactory disposition Section 292 - Report of mutually satisfactory disposition to be submitted before Court Section 293 - Disposal of case Section 294 - Judgment of Court Section 295 - Finality of judgment Section 296 - Power of Court in plea bargaining Section 297 - Period of detention undergone by accused to be set off against sentence of imprisonment Section 298 - Savings Section 299 - Statements of accused not to be used Section 300 - Non-application of Chapter

Official sources

For the authoritative statutory text and official material on the new criminal laws, consult the Government of India resources linked in the sidebar. The statutory wording should always be checked against the latest official text before relying on it in a legal proceeding.