S. 201 BNSS:

Place of Trial in case of Certain Offences:

(1) Any offence of dacoity, or of dacoity with murder, of belonging to a gang of dacoits, or of escaping from custody, may be inquired into or tried by a Court within whose local jurisdiction the offence was committed or the accused person is found.

(2) Any offence of kidnapping or abduction of a person may be inquired into or tried by a Court within whose local jurisdiction the person was kidnapped or abducted or was conveyed or concealed or detained.

(3) Any offence of theft, extortion or robbery may be inquired into or tried by a Court within whose local jurisdiction the offence was committed or the stolen property which is the subject of the offence was possessed by any person committing it or by any person who received or retained such property knowing or having reason to believe it to be stolen property.

(4) Any offence of criminal misappropriation or of criminal breach of trust may be inquired into or tried by a Court within whose local jurisdiction the offence was committed or any part of the property which is the subject of the offence was received or retained, or was required to be returned or accounted for, by the accused person.

(5) Any offence which includes the possession of stolen property may be inquired into or tried by a Court within whose local jurisdiction the offence was committed or the stolen property was possessed by any person who received or retained it knowing or having reason to believe it to be stolen property.

Exceptional circumstances such as dacoity, kidnapping, theft, extortion or robbery, offence of criminal misappropriation or breach of trust and any offence, which includes possession of stolen property are dealt with under Section 201 BNSS.

• An offence of dacoity with or without murder or, of association with a gang of dacoits, or dodge the custody, may be inquired or tried in a court where the offence was committed or the person has been found (S. 201(1) BNSS).
• An offence of kidnapping/abduction may be inquired or tried in a court where the person was kidnapped/abducted or, where the person is hidden, passed or kept (S. 201(2) BNSS).
• An offence of theft, robbery or, extortion may be inquired into or tried in a court where the offence was committed or the stolen property was recovered by any person who knew or has reasons to believe that the property he received or retained is a stolen property (S. 201(3) BNSS).
• An offence of criminal misappropriation or, of criminal breach of trust may be inquired into or tried in a court where that offence was committed or any part of the property was acquired by the accused (S. 201(4) BNSS).
• Any offence that includes the possession of stolen property may be inquired or tried by a Court within the local jurisdiction that offence was committed or the stolen property was possessed by any person who received it knowing or having reasons to believe it to be stolen property (S. 201(5) BNSS).

These provisions ensure that offences are tried in the most appropriate jurisdiction based on the nature and circumstances of the offence.

S. 202 BNSS:

Offences Committed by Means of Electronic Communications, Letters, Etc.:

(1) Any offence which includes cheating, may, if the deception is practised by means of electronic communications or letters or telecommunication messages, be inquired into or tried by any Court within whose local jurisdiction such electronic communications or letters or messages were sent or were received; and any offence of cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property may be inquired into or tried by a Court within whose local jurisdiction the property was delivered by the person deceived or was received by the accused person.

(2) Any offence punishable under section 82 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 may be inquired into or tried by a Court within whose local jurisdiction the offence was committed or the offender last resided with his or her spouse by the first marriage, or the wife by the first marriage has taken up permanent residence after the commission of the offence.

Section 202 BNSS deals with the jurisdiction of criminal courts for offenses committed through letters or telecommunication messages, and it allows for the offense to be tried in any court where the letter or message was sent or received. It further addresses offenses like cheating where property delivery is involved, allowing trial in the court where the property was delivered or received. This means that even if the person who committed the offence is in a different location, they can be prosecuted in the court having jurisdiction over the place where the communication was sent or received.

For example, suppose a person sends a threatening letter from Mumbai to someone in Delhi. Even though the person who sent the letter is in Mumbai, they can be prosecuted in a Delhi court because the letter was received in Delhi.

If the sender is not identified, the offence can still be prosecuted. The prosecution will need to prove that the communication was sent from a particular location.

S. 203 BNSS:

Offence Committed on Journey or Voyage:

When an offence is committed whilst the person by or against whom, or the thing in respect of which, the offence is committed is in the course of performing a journey or voyage, the offence may be inquired into or tried by a Court through or into whose local jurisdiction that person or thing passed in the course of that journey or voyage.

Section 203 BNSS addresses situations where an offence occurs during a journey or voyage.  This provision aims to resolve uncertainties regarding the venue of trial that may arise due to the transient nature of the offence and the difficulty in determining its exact location. It ensures that the court at the termination point of the journey also has jurisdiction to try offences committed during the journey. This Section applies solely to offences committed within India.

In such cases, the offence may be inquired into or tried by a court within the local jurisdiction through or into which the person or thing involved passed during that journey or voyage.

For example, if a crime is committed on a train traveling from City A to City B, any court in the local jurisdictions that the train passed through can handle the case.