Section 346 BNSS: Power to Postpone or Adjourn Proceedings
Section 346 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 regulates postponement and adjournment of criminal inquiries and trials. It emphasizes day-to-day proceedings, restricts avoidable adjournments, protects the examination of witnesses who are present, and permits remand and costs subject to the statutory conditions.
What Section 346 BNSS provides
- Inquiry and trial proceedings should ordinarily continue from day to day until witnesses in attendance are examined.
- For specified offences under Sections 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70 and 71 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the inquiry or trial is to be completed within two months from filing of the charge sheet.
- A Court may postpone or adjourn an inquiry or trial only for reasons to be recorded and for a reasonable period.
- Where the accused is in custody, remand under this section cannot exceed fifteen days at a time.
- When witnesses are present, postponement without examining them requires special reasons recorded in writing.
- An adjournment requested by a party is restricted to circumstances beyond that party's control, and not more than two such adjournments may be granted after hearing the other side and recording reasons.
- An advocate being engaged in another Court is not, by itself, a ground for adjournment.
- Where appropriate, the Court may impose costs as a condition of postponement or adjournment.
Text of Section 346, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
346. (1) In every inquiry or trial the proceedings shall be continued from day-to-day basis until all the witnesses in attendance have been examined, unless the Court finds the adjournment of the same beyond the following day to be necessary for reasons to be recorded:
Provided that when the inquiry or trial relates to an offence under section 64, section 65, section 66, section 67, section 68, section 70 or section 71 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 the inquiry or trial shall be completed within a period of two months from the date of filing of the charge sheet.
(2) If the Court, after taking cognizance of an offence, or commencement of trial, finds it necessary or advisable to postpone the commencement of, or adjourn, any inquiry or trial, it may, from time to time, for reasons to be recorded, postpone or adjourn the same on such terms as it thinks fit, for such time as it considers reasonable, and may by a warrant remand the accused if in custody:
Provided that no Court shall remand an accused person to custody under this section for a term exceeding fifteen days at a time:
Provided further that when witnesses are in attendance, no adjournment or postponement shall be granted, without examining them, except for special reasons to be recorded in writing:
Provided also that no adjournment shall be granted for the purpose only of enabling the accused person to show cause against the sentence proposed to be imposed on him:
Provided also that-
(a) no adjournment shall be granted at the request of a party, except where the circumstances are beyond the control of that party;
(b) where the circumstances are beyond the control of a party, not more than two adjournments may be granted by the Court after hearing the objections of the other party and for the reasons to be recorded in writing;
(c) the fact that the advocate of a party is engaged in another Court, shall not be a ground for adjournment;
(d) where a witness is present in Court but a party or his advocate is not present or the party or his advocate though present in Court, is not ready to examine or cross-examine the witness, the Court may, if thinks fit, record the statement of the witness and pass such orders as it thinks fit dispensing with the examination-in-chief or cross-examination of the witness, as the case may be.
Explanation 1.- If sufficient evidence has been obtained to raise a suspicion that the accused may have committed an offence, and it appears likely that further evidence may be obtained by a remand, this is a reasonable cause for a remand.
Explanation 2.- The terms on which an adjournment or postponement may be granted include, in appropriate cases, the payment of costs by the prosecution or the accused.
Practical effect of Section 346
The provision is intended to reduce unnecessary delay in criminal proceedings. A request for adjournment should therefore disclose a genuine circumstance beyond the party's control. Where witnesses are already present, the statutory preference is to record their evidence rather than defer the matter, unless special reasons justify postponement.
The provision also gives the Court tools to keep proceedings moving. Depending on the circumstances, the Court may record the evidence of a witness even when a party or advocate is absent or not ready, and may impose costs when granting an adjournment or postponement.
Official legal sources
For the authoritative Act text and official criminal-law materials, refer to the Government sources below.