Question

Under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, which specific provision provides the legal definition for a 'Bailable Offence'?

• A. Section 2(h)
• B. Section 2(x)
• C. Section 2(c)
• D. Section 2(a)

Hint:

Remember the sequence: Section 2(a) defines Bailable Offence, while Section 2(c) defines Cognizable Offence. These are among the most frequently tested CrPC definitions.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept: The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 begins with a set of statutory definitions under Section 2. These definitions provide the foundation for understanding the procedural framework governing criminal investigations, trials, and appeals.

Step 1: Understanding the significance of a bailable offence.
A bailable offence is one in which bail can be claimed as a matter of right. The accused cannot ordinarily be denied release on bail if the prescribed conditions are fulfilled.

Step 2: Locating the statutory definition.
Section 2(a) of the CrPC defines a ``Bailable Offence'' as an offence which is shown as bailable in the First Schedule of the Code or which is made bailable by any other law for the time being in force.

Step 3: Importance of the definition.
The classification of offences into bailable and non-bailable categories directly affects the liberty of the accused and determines the powers of the police and courts regarding release on bail.

Step 4: Practical significance.
Knowledge of the statutory definition is essential because numerous procedural rights and obligations throughout criminal proceedings depend upon whether an offence falls within the bailable category. \[ \boxed{\text{Section 2(a) of the CrPC defines a Bailable Offence.}} \]

Answer 2

Section 2 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 contains the Code's dictionary of terms, and each clause of Section 2 defines a different expression. The task here is to match the term Bailable Offence to its own specific clause rather than to a neighbouring one that defines something else.

1. Section 2(h): this clause of the Code defines a different expression altogether, unconnected to the classification of offences as bailable or non-bailable, so it cannot be the source of this definition.
2. Section 2(x): this clause likewise defines a separate term used elsewhere in the Code and has no bearing on whether an offence is bailable.
3. Section 2(c): this clause defines a cognizable offence, describing when a police officer may arrest without a warrant, which is a distinct classification from the bailable and non-bailable division and is often confused with it because both classifications appear together in the First Schedule.
4. Section 2(a): this is the clause that expressly defines a Bailable Offence as one shown as bailable in the First Schedule of the Code, or made bailable by any other law for the time being in force. This is the precise statutory home of the term used in the question.

Because only Section 2(a) supplies the specific definition of a bailable offence, while the other clauses define unrelated or merely adjacent terms such as cognizable offence, it is the provision the question is asking for.

Therefore, the correct answer is Section 2(a).