Section 7 BNSS: Territorial divisions
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
Section 7 BNSS at a Glance
Section 7 BNSS deals with territorial divisions. It replaced Section 7 CrPC on 1 July 2024.
Section 7 BNSS Bare Act Text
(1) Every State shall be a sessions division or shall consist of sessions divisions; and every sessions divisions shall, for the purposes of this Sanhita, be a district or consist of districts.
(2) The State Government may, after consultation with the High Court, alter the limits or the number of such divisions and districts.
(3) The State Government may, after consultation with the High Court, divide any district into sub-divisions and may alter the limits or the number of such sub-divisions.
(4) The sessions divisions, districts and sub-divisions existing in a State at the commencement of this Sanhita, shall be deemed to have been formed under this section.
Source: Section 7, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
Section 7 BNSS in Simple Words
Section 7 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 deals with territorial divisions. Every State shall be a sessions division or consist of sessions divisions, and each sessions division shall be a district or consist of districts.
The State Government may, after consultation with the High Court, alter the limits or number of divisions and districts, and may divide any district into sub-divisions or alter the limits or number of sub-divisions. Sessions divisions, districts and sub-divisions existing at the commencement of the Sanhita shall be deemed to have been formed under Section 7 BNSS.
When Section 7 BNSS Applies
- Every State shall be constituted as a single sessions division or made up of multiple sessions divisions, and each sessions division shall be a single district or made up of multiple districts for the purposes of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
- The State Government may change the boundaries or the total count of sessions divisions and districts in a State under Section 7(2) BNSS, provided it acts after consultation with the High Court.
- The State Government may split any district into sub-divisions and may change the boundaries or the total count of those sub-divisions under Section 7(3) BNSS after consultation with the High Court.
- All sessions divisions, districts, and sub-divisions that already existed in a State when the Sanhita commenced shall be treated by law as having been formed under Section 7(4) BNSS.
Example of Section 7 BNSS
When Section 7 BNSS Does Not Apply
- Section 7(2) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 does not empower the State Government to alter the limits or the number of sessions divisions and districts without consultation with the High Court.
- Section 7(3) BNSS does not empower the State Government to divide any district into sub-divisions or alter the limits or the number of such sub-divisions without consultation with the High Court.
- The deeming rule in Section 7(4) BNSS does not apply to sessions divisions, districts, or sub-divisions that were not existing in a State at the commencement of the Sanhita.
Section 7 BNSS in the CrPC (Previous Law)
Section 7 BNSS replaced Section 7 CrPC from 1 July 2024.
Section 7 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 became Section 7 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 from 1 July 2024. Section 7 BNSS does not contain the proviso to Section 7(1) CrPC, under which every metropolitan area was a separate sessions division and district. Section 7(1) BNSS and Section 7(4) BNSS refer to the Sanhita in place of the Code, and Section 7(1) BNSS reads every sessions divisions. Section 7(2) BNSS and Section 7(3) BNSS keep the text of the matching CrPC sub-sections.
Each sub-section below names its own source.
FAQs on Section 7 BNSS
How are States organised into sessions divisions and districts under Section 7 BNSS?▼
Section 7(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 provides that every State shall be a sessions division or shall consist of sessions divisions, and that every sessions division shall, for the purposes of the Sanhita, be a district or consist of districts. Under Section 7(3) BNSS, the State Government may, after consultation with the High Court, divide any district into sub-divisions.
Under what condition may the State Government alter divisions, districts, or sub-divisions under Section 7 BNSS?▼
Consultation with the High Court is required before the State Government exercises its power to reorganise territorial units under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. Under Section 7(2) BNSS, the State Government may, after consultation with the High Court, alter the limits or the number of sessions divisions and districts. Under Section 7(3) BNSS, the State Government may, after consultation with the High Court, divide any district into sub-divisions and may alter the limits or the number of such sub-divisions.
What is the status of sessions divisions, districts, and sub-divisions that existed when the Sanhita commenced?▼
Section 7(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 provides that the sessions divisions, districts and sub-divisions existing in a State at the commencement of the Sanhita shall be deemed to have been formed under Section 7 BNSS. They may be altered under Section 7(2) BNSS or Section 7(3) BNSS.
What changed from Section 7 CrPC to Section 7 BNSS from 1 July 2024?▼
From 1 July 2024, Section 7 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 replaced Section 7 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. Section 7 BNSS does not contain the proviso to Section 7(1) CrPC, under which every metropolitan area was a separate sessions division and district. Section 7(1) BNSS and Section 7(4) BNSS refer to the Sanhita in place of the Code, and Section 7(2) BNSS and Section 7(3) BNSS keep the text of Section 7(2) CrPC and Section 7(3) CrPC.
Section 7 BNSS: Sub-sections Explained
Section 7(1) BNSS: Territorial divisions
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Bare Act Text
(1) Every State shall be a sessions division or shall consist of sessions divisions; and every sessions divisions shall, for the purposes of this Sanhita, be a district or consist of districts.
Section 7(2) BNSS: Territorial divisions
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Bare Act Text
(2) The State Government may, after consultation with the High Court, alter the limits or the number of such divisions and districts.
Section 7(3) BNSS: Territorial divisions
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Bare Act Text
(3) The State Government may, after consultation with the High Court, divide any district into sub-divisions and may alter the limits or the number of such sub-divisions.
Section 7(4) BNSS: Territorial divisions
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Bare Act Text
(4) The sessions divisions, districts and sub-divisions existing in a State at the commencement of this Sanhita, shall be deemed to have been formed under this section.
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Sources: Bare Act Text, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 · Last updated: 21 Oct 2026 ·