CrPC 391: Section 391 of the Criminal Procedure Code

Appellate Court may take further evidence or direct it to be taken

  1. In dealing with any appeal under this Chapter, the Appellate Court, if it thinks additional evidence to be necessary, shall record its reasons and may either take such evidence itself, or direct it to be taken by a Magistrate, or when the Appellate Court is a High Court, by a Court of Session or a Magistrate.
  2. When the additional evidence is taken by the Court of Session or the Magistrate, it or he shall certify such evidence to the Appellate Court, and such Court shall thereupon proceed to dispose of the appeal.
  3. The accused or his pleader shall have the right to be present when the additional evidence is taken.
  4. The taking of evidence under this section shall be subject to the provisions of Chapter XXIII, as if it were an inquiry.

CrPC 390: Section 390 of the Criminal Procedure Code

Arrest of accused in appeal from acquittal

When an appeal is presented under section 378, the High Court may issue a warrant directing that the accused be arrested and brought before it or any subordinate Court, and the Court before which he is brought may commit him to prison pending the disposal of the appeal or admit him to bail.

CrPC 389: Section 389 of the Criminal Procedure Code

Suspension of sentence pending the appeal; release of appellant on bail

  1. Pending any appeal by a convicted person, the Appellate Court may, for reasons to be recorded by it in writing, order that the execution of the sentence or order appealed against be suspended and, also, if he is in confinement, that he be released on bail, or on his own bond.

    Provided that the Appellate Court shall, before releasing on bail or on his own bond a convicted person who is convicted of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a term of not less than ten years, shall give opportunity to the Public Prosecutor for showing cause in writing against such release:

    Provided further that in cases where a convicted person is released on bail it shall be open to the Public Prosecutor to file an application for the cancellation of the bail.

  2. The power conferred by this section on an Appellate Court may be exercised also by the High Court in the case of an appeal by convicted person to a Court subordinate thereto.
  3. Where the convicted person satisfies the Court by which he is convicted that he intends to present an appeal, the Court shall,-
    1. where such person, being on bail, is sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or
    2. where the offence of which such person has been convicted is a bailable one, and he is on bail,
      order that the convicted person be released on bail unless there are special reasons for refusing bail, for such period as will afford sufficient time to present the appeal and obtain the orders of the Appellate Court under Sub-Section (1), and the sentence of imprisonment shall, so long as he is so released on bail, be deemed to be suspended.
  4. When the appellant is ultimately sentenced to imprisonment for a term or to imprisonment for life, the time during which he is so released shall be excluded in computing the term for which he is so sentenced.

CrPC 388: Section 388 of the Criminal Procedure Code

Order of High Court on appeal to be certified to lower Court

  1. Whenever a case is decided on appeal by the High Court under this Chapter, it shall certify its judgment or order to the Court by which the finding, sentence or order appealed against was recorded or passed and if such Court is that of a Judicial Magistrate other than the Chief Judicial Magistrate, the High Court’s judgment or order shall be sent through the Chief Judicial Magistrate; and if such Court is that of an Executive Magistrate, the High Court’s judgment or order shall be sent through the District Magistrate.
  2. The Court to which the High Court certifies its judgment or order shall thereupon make such orders as arc conformable to the judgment or order of the High Court; and, if necessary, the record shall be amended in accordance therewith.

CrPC 387: Section 387 of the Criminal Procedure Code

Judgments of subordinate Appellate Court

The rules contained in Chapter XXVII as to the judgment of a Criminal Court of original jurisdiction shall apply, so far as may be practicable, to the judgment in appeal of a Court of Session or Chief Judicial Magistrate:

Provided that unless the Appellate Court otherwise directs, the accused shall not be brought up, or required to attend, to hear judgment delivered.

CrPC 386: Section 386 of the Criminal Procedure Code

Powers of the Appellate Court

After perusing such record and hearing the appellant or his pleader, if he appears, and the Public Prosecutor, if he appears, and in case of an appeal under section 377 or section 378, the accused, if he appears, the Appellate Court may, if it considers that there is no sufficient ground for interfering, dismiss the appeal, or may

  1. in an appeal from an order of acquittal, reverse such order and direct that further inquiry be made, or that the accused be re-tried or committed for trial, as the case may be, or find him guilty and pass sentence on him according to law;
  2. in an appeal from a conviction
    1. reverse the finding and sentence and acquit or discharge the accused, or order him to be re-tried by a Court of competent jurisdiction subordinate to such Appellate Court or committed for trial, or
    2. alter the finding, maintaining the sentence, or
    3. with or without altering the finding, alter the nature or the extent, or the nature and extent, of the sentence, but not so as to enhance the same;
  3. in an appeal for enhancement of sentence
    1. reverse the finding and sentence and acquit or discharge the accused or order him to be re-tried by a Court competent to try the offence, or
    2. alter the finding maintaining the sentence, or
    3. with or without altering the finding, alter the nature or the extent, or the nature and extent, of the sentence, so as to enhance or reduce the same;
  4. in an appeal from any other order, alter or reverse such order;
  5. make any amendment or any consequential or incidental order that may be just or proper;

    Provided that the sentence shall not be enhanced unless the accused has had an opportunity of showing cause against such enhancement:

    Provided further that the Appellate Court shall not inflict greater punishment for the offence which in its opinion the accused has committed, than might have been inflicted for that offence by the Court passing the order or sentence under appeal.

CrPC 385: Section 385 of the Criminal Procedure Code

Procedure for hearing appeals not dismissed summarily

  1. If the Appellate Court does not dismiss the appeal summarily, it shall cause notice of the time and place at which such appeal will be heard to be given-
    1. to the appellant or his pleader;
    2. to such officer as the State Government may appoint in this behalf;
    3. if the appeal is from a judgment of conviction in a case instituted upon complaint to the complainant;
    4. if the appeal is under section 377 or section 378, to the accused, and shall also furnish such officer, complainant and accused with a copy of the grounds of appeal.
  2. The Appellate Court shall then send for the record or the case, if such record is not already available in that Court and hear the parties:

    Provided that if the appeal is only as to the extent or the legality of the sentence, the Court may dispose of the appeal without sending for the record.

  3. Where the only ground for appeal from a conviction is the alleged severity of the sentence, the appellant shall not except with the leave of the Court urge or be heard in support of any other ground.

CrPC 384: Section 384 of the Criminal Procedure Code

Summary dismissal of appeal

  1. If upon examining the petition of appeal and copy of the judgment received under section 382 or section 383, the Appellate Court considers that there is no sufficient ground for interfering, it may dismiss the appeal summarily:

    Provided that-

    1. no appeal presented under section 382 shall be dismissed unless the appellant or his pleader has had a reasonable opportunity of being heard in support of the same;
    2. no appeal presented under section 383 shall be dismissed except after giving the appellant a reasonable opportunity of being heard in support of the same, unless the Appellate Court considers that the appeal is frivolous or that the production of the accused in custody before the Court would involve such inconvenience as would be disproportionate in the circumstances of the case;
    3. no appeal presented under section 383 shall be dismissed summarily until the period allowed for preferring such appeal has expired.
  2. Before dismissing an appeal under this section, the Court may call for the record of the case.
  3. Where the Appellate Court dismissing an appeal under this section is a Court of Session or of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, it shall record its reasons for doing so.
  4. Where an appeal presented under section 383 has been dismissed summarily under this section and the Appellate Court finds that another petition of appeal duly presented under section 382 on behalf of the same appellant has not been considered by it, that Court may, notwithstanding anything contained in section 393, if satisfied that it is necessary in the interests of justice so to do, hear and dispose of such appeal in accordance with law.

CrPC 383: Section 383 of the Criminal Procedure Code

Procedure when appellant in jail

If the appellant is in jail, he may present his petition of appeal and the copies accompanying the same to the officer in charge of the jail, who shall thereupon forward such petition and copies to the proper Appellate Court.

CrPC 382: Section 382 of the Criminal Procedure Code

Petition of appeal

Every appeal shall be made in the form of a petition in writing presented by the appellant of his pleader, and every such petition shall (unless the Court to which it is presented otherwise directs) be accompanied by a copy of the judgment or order appealed against.