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Wednesday, 11 November 2026 Judgments, law jobs and study notes, written by a practising advocate
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XXVI: General Provisions As To Inquiries And Trials

Section 337 BNSS: Person once convicted or acquitted not to be tried for same offence

Corresponding CrPC
Section 300 CrPC

Bare Act text

(1) A person who has once been tried by a Court of competent jurisdiction for an offence and convicted or acquitted of such offence shall, while such conviction or acquittal remains in force, not be liable to be tried again for the same offence, nor on the same facts for any other offence for which a different charge from the one made against him might have been made under sub-section (1) of section 244, or for which he might have been convicted under sub-section (2) thereof.

(2) A person acquitted or convicted of any offence may be afterwards tried, with the consent of the State Government, for any distinct offence for which a separate charge might have been made against him at the former trial under sub-section (1) of section 243.

(3) A person convicted of any offence constituted by any act causing consequences which, together with such act, constituted a different offence from that of which he was convicted, may be afterwards tried for such last-mentioned offence, if the consequences had not happened, or were not known to the Court to have happened, at the time when he was convicted.

(4) A person acquitted or convicted of any offence constituted by any acts may, notwithstanding such acquittal or conviction, be subsequently charged with, and tried for, any other offence constituted by the same acts which he may have committed if the Court by which he was first tried was not competent to try the offence with which he is subsequently charged.

(5) A person discharged under section 281 shall not be tried again for the same offence except with the consent of the Court by which he was discharged or of any other Court to which the first-mentioned Court is subordinate.

(6) Nothing in this section shall affect the provisions of section 26 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 (10 of 1897) or of section 208 of this Sanhita.

Explanation.—The dismissal of a complaint, or the discharge of the accused, is not an acquittal for the purposes of this section.

Illustrations.

(a) A is tried upon a charge of theft as a servant and acquitted. He cannot afterwards, while the acquittal remains in force, be charged with theft as a servant, or, upon the same facts, with theft simply, or with criminal breach of trust.

(b) A is tried for causing grievous hurt and convicted. The person injured afterwards dies. A may be tried again for culpable homicide.

(c) A is charged before the Court of Session and convicted of the culpable homicide of B. A may not afterwards be tried on the same facts for the murder of B.

(d) A is charged by a Magistrate of the first class with, and convicted by him of, voluntarily causing hurt to B. A may not afterwards be tried for voluntarily causing grievous hurt to B on the same facts, unless the case comes within sub-section (3) of this section.

(e) A is charged by a Magistrate of the second class with, and convicted by him of, theft of property from the person of B. A may subsequently be charged with, and tried for, robbery on the same facts.

(f) A, B and C are charged by a Magistrate of the first class with, and convicted by him of, robbing D. A, B and C may afterwards be charged with, and tried for, dacoity on the same facts.

Text as enacted in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act No. 46 of 2023), in force from 1 July 2024. Source: India Code, Government of India.

In simple words

A person once tried by a competent Court and convicted or acquitted cannot, while that decision stands, be tried again for the same offence or on the same facts for another offence for which a different charge could have been made. The section also sets out exceptions and further rules on later trials for distinct offences.

Chapter XXVI: General Provisions As To Inquiries And Trials

  1. 337 Person once convicted or acquitted not to be tried for same offence
  2. 338 Appearance by Public Prosecutors
  3. 339 Permission to conduct prosecution
  4. 340 Right of person against whom proceedings are instituted to be defended
  5. 341 Legal aid to accused at State expense in certain cases
  6. 342 Procedure when corporation or registered society is an accused
  7. 343 Tender of pardon to accomplice
  8. 344 Power to direct tender of pardon
  9. 345 Trial of person not complying with conditions of pardon
  10. 346 Power to postpone or adjourn proceedings
  11. 347 Local inspection
  12. 348 Power to summon material witness, or examine person present
  13. 349 Power of Magistrate to order person to give specimen signatures or handwriting, etc
  14. 350 Expenses of complainants and witnesses
  15. 351 Power to examine accused
  16. 352 Oral arguments and memorandum of arguments
  17. 353 Accused person to be competent witness
  18. 354 No influence to be used to induce disclosure
  19. 355 Provision for inquiries and trial being held in absence of accused in certain cases
  20. 356 Inquiry, trial or judgment in absentia of proclaimed offender
  21. 357 Procedure where accused does not understand proceedings
  22. 358 Power to proceed against other persons appearing to be guilty of offence
  23. 359 Compounding of offences
  24. 360 Withdrawal from prosecution
  25. 361 Procedure in cases which Magistrate cannot dispose of
  26. 362 Procedure when after commencement of inquiry or trial, Magistrate finds case should be committed
  27. 363 Trial of persons previously convicted of offences against coinage, stamp-law or property
  28. 364 Procedure when Magistrate cannot pass sentence sufficiently severe
  29. 365 Conviction or commitment on evidence partly recorded by one Magistrate and partly by another
  30. 366 Court to be open