Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XIV: Jurisdiction of the Criminal Courts in Inquiries and Trials
Section 197: Ordinary place of inquiry and trial
In plain words
An offence is ordinarily inquired into and tried by a court in whose area it was committed.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
Every offence shall ordinarily be inquired into and tried by a Court within whose local jurisdiction it was committed.
Corresponding sections were matched by comparing the wording of both official texts, and for the IPC and BNS, also against a published correspondence table. Wording, punishments and structure often changed, so read both sections before relying on the match.
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 12 September 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 197
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.