CrPC Section 468: Bar to taking cognizance after lapse of the period of limitation
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 · Chapter 36: Limitation for taking cognizance of certain offences
Repealed on 1 July 2024 and replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS).
¶ 468. Bar to taking cognizance after lapse of the period of limitation.- (1) Except as otherwise provided elsewhere in this Code, no Court, shall take cognizance of an offence of the category specified in sub-section (2), after the expiry of the period of limitation.
¶
(2) The period of limitation shall be-
¶(a) six months, if the offence is punishable with fine only;
¶(b) one year, if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year;
¶(c) three years, if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for a term exceeding one year but not exceeding three years.
¶(3) For the purposes of this section, the period of limitation, in relation to offences which may be tried together, shall be determined with reference to the offence which is punishable with the more severe punishment or, as the case may be, the most severe punishment.
Study: explanations and related material
Now BNSS 514 (corresponding section). CrPC → BNSS converterSource: BPR&D BNSS–CrPC corresponding section table (UP Police, 2024-07-03), p25
Official reference: Ministry of Home Affairs: historical CrPC reference — source link checked: 2 October 2026.Recorded edition / snapshot date: 2024-06-30.Mobile-app reference import; the recorded snapshot date is not a fresh legal-currency guarantee. The linked government text is an independent authoritative reference, not certification that this website reproduces the same edition. The source link was checked, not every provision or subsequent amendment. Check commencement notifications, savings and jurisdiction-specific variations separately. Section 135 was restored and individually checked against the linked government PDF (pages 75–76) on 2026-10-02; this is not a verification of the whole collection. Schedules and forms are not consolidated here. Historical code retained for reference; read the repeal/savings provisions in the successor code.
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