Section 523: Power of High Court to make rules

Earlier law: CrPC section 477 (Power of High Court to make rules)

In plain words

With the State Government's approval, each High Court can make rules on who may act as petition-writers in subordinate criminal courts, their licences, conduct and fees, penalties for breaking the rules, and other matters to be provided by State rules. The rules must be published in the Official Gazette.

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) Every High Court may, with the previous approval of the State Government, make rules—-

(a) as to the persons who may be permitted to act as petition-writers in the Criminal Courts subordinate to it;

(b) regulating the issue of licences to such persons, the conduct of business by them, and the scale of fees to be charged by them;

(c) providing a penalty for a contravention of any of the rules so made and determining the authority by which such contravention may be investigated and the penalties imposed;

(d) any other matter which is required to be, or may be, provided by rules made by the State Government.

(2) All rules made under this section shall be published in the Official Gazette.

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 523

No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.