Section 69 BNSS: Service of Summons Outside Local Limits
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 · Act No. 46 of 2023 · In force from 1 July 2024 · Page updated 10 September 2026
Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) lays down the ordinary procedure when a Court needs a summons to be served at a place situated outside the Court's own local jurisdiction.
Text of Section 69 BNSS
69. Service of summons outside local limits. When a Court desires that a summons issued by it shall be served at any place outside its local jurisdiction, it shall ordinarily send such summons in duplicate to a Magistrate within whose local jurisdiction the person summoned resides, or is, to be there served.
What Section 69 BNSS Means
The provision creates an inter-jurisdictional method for serving a summons. If the person to be summoned is outside the local jurisdiction of the Court that issued the summons, the issuing Court will ordinarily transmit two copies of the summons to a Magistrate having local jurisdiction over the place where that person resides or is present.
The word "ordinarily" indicates the normal statutory route. Section 69 therefore focuses on the channel through which an out-of-jurisdiction summons is to be sent for service; it does not itself prescribe the evidentiary rules for proving that the summons was actually served.
Essential Requirements of Section 69
- A summons must have been issued by a Court.
- The place of intended service must be outside that Court's local jurisdiction.
- The summons is ordinarily to be sent in duplicate.
- It is sent to a Magistrate within whose local jurisdiction the person summoned resides or is found.
- Service is then carried out within that receiving Magistrate's local jurisdiction in accordance with the applicable BNSS provisions.
Section 69 and Section 70 BNSS
Section 69 should be read with Section 70 BNSS. Section 70 deals with proof of service when a summons has been served outside the issuing Court's local jurisdiction or when the serving officer is not present at the hearing. It also provides that summons served through electronic communication under Sections 64 to 71 are considered duly served, subject to the statutory requirements concerning the copy kept as proof of service.
Practical distinction: Section 69 concerns where and through whom a summons outside local limits is ordinarily sent for service. Section 70 concerns proof that service occurred, including the statutory treatment of electronic service.
Corresponding Provision Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
The corresponding provision in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 was Section 67 CrPC, also titled "Service of summons outside local limits." The BNSS provision carries forward the same core mechanism, while the surrounding BNSS summons provisions now also address electronic communication more expressly.
| Subject | BNSS, 2023 | CrPC, 1973 |
|---|---|---|
| Service of summons outside local limits | Section 69 | Section 67 |
| Proof of service in such cases | Section 70 | Section 68 |
Related BNSS Provisions on Summons
The procedure in Section 69 forms part of Chapter VI of the BNSS dealing with processes to compel appearance. The immediately related provisions are Section 63 - Form of summons, Section 64 - Summons how served, Section 65 - Service on corporate bodies, firms and societies, Section 66 - Service when persons summoned cannot be found, Section 67 - Procedure when service cannot be effected as before provided, Section 68 - Service on Government servant, Section 70 - Proof of service, and the following Section 71 - Service of summons on witness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Section 69 of the BNSS?
Section 69 provides the ordinary procedure for serving a Court summons at a place outside the local jurisdiction of the Court that issued it.
To whom is the summons sent when service is outside local limits?
The issuing Court ordinarily sends the summons in duplicate to a Magistrate within whose local jurisdiction the person summoned resides or is present.
Does Section 69 itself deal with proof of service?
No. Proof of service in such cases is principally dealt with by Section 70 BNSS.
When did the BNSS come into force?
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 came into force on 1 July 2024, subject to the exception stated in the commencement notification concerning the specified First Schedule entry.