- All offences under the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) shall be investigated, inquired into, tried, and otherwise dealt with according to the provisions hereinafter contained.
- All offences under any other law shall be investigated, inquired into, tried, and otherwise dealt with according to the same provisions, but subject to any enactment for the lime being in force regulating the manner or place of investigating, inquiring into, trying or otherwise dealing with such offences.
Simplified Explanation:
Section 4 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 1973, titled “Trial of offences under the Indian Penal Code and other laws,” lays down the framework for the jurisdiction of the criminal courts in India to try offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as offences under other laws. Here’s a simplified breakdown of what Section 4 entails:
- Jurisdiction Over IPC Offenses: Section 4(1) specifies that all offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) shall be investigated, inquired into, tried, and otherwise dealt with according to the provisions of the CrPC, except as otherwise provided by the Code itself or by any other law for the time being in force. This means that the CrPC primarily governs the procedure for handling IPC offences unless specific provisions are made in the IPC or other laws.
- Jurisdiction Over Offenses Under Other Laws: Section 4(2) extends the application of the CrPC to all offences under any other law (i.e., laws other than the IPC), again subject to any provisions that the other law might specify. This means that for any criminal offence under statutes other than the IPC, the procedures prescribed by the CrPC would apply unless the other law establishes a different method.
This section is foundational because it establishes the CrPC as the default procedural code for most criminal cases in India, ensuring a uniform procedure for the investigation, inquiry, trial, and adjudication of criminal offences. It integrates the CrPC with the Indian Penal Code and other laws, providing a comprehensive legal framework for the administration of criminal justice in India.
