Section 204 BNSS: Place of trial for offences triable together (Formerly Section 184 CrPC)

Section 204 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023: Place of trial for offences triable together

Official Bare Act Text

Override / Mandate Mens Rea (Intent) Actus Reus (Conduct) Punishment Limitation Monetary

Where—

(a) the offences committed by any person are such that he may be charged with, and tried at one trial for, each such offence by virtue of the provisions of section 242, section 243 or section 244; or

(b) the offence or offences committed by several persons are such that they may be charged with and tried together by virtue of the provisions of section 246, the offences may be inquired into or tried by any Court competent to inquire into or try any of the offences.

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 204

Section 204 regulates the place of trial for offences triable together under Sections 241, 242, 243, or 246, permitting joint trial in any court competent to inquire into or try any of the offences.

Offences Triable Together: Connected offences, offences of the same kind within one year, or offences committed by joint accused.
Competent Court: Any court competent to try any one of the connected offences.
Consolidation of Trials: Prevents multiplicity of criminal proceedings and inconsistent verdicts.

Key Landmark Precedents:

Purushottamdas Dalmia v. State of West Bengal AIR 1961 SC 1589: The Supreme Court held that where offences are interconnected in a single transaction, Section 184 CrPC (Section 204 BNSS) allows a court having jurisdiction over one offence to try all related offences.
State of A.P. v. Cheemalapati Ganeswara Rao AIR 1963 SC 1850: Affirmed that joint trials of connected transactions avoid unnecessary harassment of witnesses and split trials.

Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

Use Section 204 to defeat defense objections seeking to split charges across multiple districts. If a criminal conspiracy originated in Delhi and robberies were executed in Meerut and Agra, the Delhi court can try all connected offences.