Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XXVIII: Provisions As to Offences Affecting the Administration of Justice
Section 385: Procedure where Court considers that case should not be dealt with under section 384
In plain words
If the court thinks such an offender deserves imprisonment (other than for not paying a fine), or a fine over two hundred rupees, or should not be dealt with under section 384 for any reason, it records the facts and statement and forwards the case to a Magistrate, taking security or sending the person in custody.
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
(1) If the Court in any case considers that a person accused of any of the offences referred to in section 384 and committed in its view or presence should be imprisoned otherwise than in default of payment of fine, or that a fine exceeding two hundred rupees should be imposed upon him, or such Court is for any other reason of opinion that the case should not be disposed of under section 384, such Court, after recording the facts constituting the offence and the statement of the accused as hereinbefore provided, may forward the case to a Magistrate having jurisdiction to try the same, and may require security to be given for the appearance of such person before such Magistrate, or if sufficient security is not given, shall forward such person in custody to such Magistrate.
(2) The Magistrate to whom any case is forwarded under this section shall proceed to deal with, as far as may be, as if it were instituted on a police report.
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 385
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.