Criminal Law–II – Judiciary Class Notes | Updated 2025

• Updated Criminal Law-II Coverage based on the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA) for Judiciary and State Judicial Services exam preparation.
• 32 structured chapters covering 19 chapters of Criminal Procedure under BNSS and 13 chapters of Evidence Law under BSA.
• Comprehensive BNSS Coverage including investigation, arrest, summons and warrants, jurisdiction, cognizance, bail, charge, trial, judgment, appeals, revision, maintenance and plea bargaining.
• Detailed Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam Coverage covering relevant facts, dying declaration, expert opinion, burden of proof, estoppel, documentary and oral evidence, witnesses, accomplice evidence and presumptions.
• Updated New Criminal Law Concepts including electronic communication, digital evidence, technology-enabled investigation and electronic modes in criminal proceedings under BNSS and BSA.
• Previous Years’ Judiciary Questions integrated with chapters to connect legal concepts with actual examination patterns across multiple State Judicial Services exams.
• Judiciary Exam Trend Analysis covering previous-year question and marks trends for Criminal Procedure and Evidence Law across State Judiciary examinations.
• Exam-Oriented Updated 2025 Notes designed for conceptual understanding, statutory revision and focused preparation of Criminal Law-II.

About This Book

Drishti Judiciary Criminal Law–II Class Notes – Updated 2025 are designed for aspirants preparing for Judiciary Exams, State Judicial Services, Civil Judge Examinations and other law-based competitive examinations.

The book has been updated with the new criminal law framework and covers two major subjects—Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, corresponding to criminal procedure, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, dealing with the law of evidence.

The BNSS portion contains 19 structured chapters beginning with the basics of criminal procedure and proceeding through the constitution of criminal courts, investigation, arrest, processes to compel appearance and production, jurisdiction, cognizance, proceedings before Magistrates, bail, charge, trial, judgment, appeal, revision, transfer of cases, execution of sentences, preventive measures, maintenance, plea bargaining and miscellaneous provisions.

The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam portion covers the fundamentals of Evidence Law and major concepts including Relevant Facts, Dying Declaration, Opinion of Third Persons, Facts Need Not Be Proved, Burden of Proof, Doctrine of Estoppel, Privileged Communications, Oral and Documentary Evidence, Witnesses, Accomplice Evidence and Presumptions.

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 Coverage

The BNSS section covers:

1. Basics of Criminal Procedure
2. Constitution of Criminal Courts and Functionaries
3. Investigation
4. Arrest of Person
5. Process to Compel Appearance and Production of Things
6. Local Jurisdiction of the Courts and the Police
7. Cognizance of Offence
8. Commencement of Proceedings Before Magistrate
9. Bail
10. The Charge, Irregular Proceedings and Limitation on Cognizance
11. Trial
12. Judgment
13. Appeal, Reference and Revision
14. Transfer of Cases
15. Execution, Suspension, Remission and Commutation of Sentences
16. Preventive and Precautionary Measures
17. Proceeding for Maintenance of Wives, Children and Parents
18. Plea Bargaining
19. Miscellaneous

The notes highlight significant procedural changes introduced under BNSS, including electronic FIR-related processes, Zero FIR, defined timelines, electronic summons, audio-video recording of statements, digital document supply and electronic modes for trials and proceedings.

Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 Coverage

The Evidence Law portion covers:

20. Basics of Evidence Law
21. Relevant Facts
22. Dying Declaration
23. Relevance of Opinion of Third Person
24. Facts: Need Not Be Proved
25. Burden of Proof
26. Doctrine of Estoppel
27. Production and Effect of Evidence – Privileged Communications
28. Oral and Documentary Evidence
29. Exclusion of Oral Evidence by Documentary Evidence
30. Witnesses: Competence and Examinations
31. Accomplice Evidence
32. Presumptions

The notes also address the transition from the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 to the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, including greater integration of electronic and digital evidence into the legal framework.

Important Criminal Procedure Concepts

The BNSS notes cover several high-value Judiciary topics, including:

• FIR & Zero FIR
• Investigation
• Arrest With and Without Warrant
• Cognizable & Non-Cognizable Offences
• Bailable & Non-Bailable Offences
• Summons & Warrants
• Criminal Courts and Magistrates
• Cognizance of Offences
• Bail
• Charge
• Trial & Judgment
• Appeals, Reference & Revision
• Maintenance Proceedings
• Plea Bargaining
• Electronic Investigation & Proceedings

The book also contains comparative explanations for important examination-oriented distinctions such as bailable vs non-bailable offences, cognizable vs non-cognizable offences, summons case vs warrant case, and inquiry vs trial.

Important Evidence Law Concepts

The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam section covers:

• Relevancy of Facts
• Dying Declaration
• Expert Opinion
• Facts Need Not Be Proved
• Burden of Proof
• Doctrine of Estoppel
• Privileged Communications
• Oral Evidence
• Documentary Evidence
• Electronic Evidence
• Witness Competency & Examination
• Accomplice Evidence
• Presumptions

For example, the notes explain the Dying Declaration under Section 26 of BSA and its application to statements relating to the cause of death or circumstances resulting in death.

The Burden of Proof chapter explains the distinction between burden and shifting onus, along with the fundamental criminal-law principle that the prosecution must establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Previous Years’ Judiciary Questions

The book integrates Previous Years’ Questions from Judicial Services examinations into the chapters. Questions include frequently tested distinctions and concepts such as:

• Cognizable vs Non-Cognizable Offences
• Investigation, Inquiry and Trial
• Bailable vs Non-Bailable Offences
• Summons Case vs Warrant Case
• Discharge vs Acquittal
• Judicial Proceedings

The preview includes PYQs from examinations such as UPJS, DJS, RJS, HJS, JJS, MPCJ, Punjab Judicial Services, Gujarat Judicial Services and Maharashtra Judicial Services.

Judiciary Exam Trend Analysis

The book includes Criminal Law-II Trend Analysis for both:

• Criminal Procedure Code / Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
• Indian Evidence Act / Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023

The analysis presents previous-year questions and marks across State Judiciary exams and includes states such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

Ideal For

Suitable for aspirants preparing for Judiciary Exams, State Judicial Services, Civil Judge Exams and other law-based competitive examinations where Criminal Procedure, BNSS, Evidence Law and BSA form part of the syllabus.