Section 293 CrPC: Reports of certain Government scientific experts

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 293 CrPC at a Glance

Section 293 CrPC deals with reports of certain Government scientific experts. From 1 July 2024 it is replaced by Section 329 BNSS.

Now BNSS

Section 329 →

What Section 293 CrPC Says

293. Reports of certain Government scientific experts
(1) Any document purporting to be a report under the hand of a Government scientific expert to whom this section applies, upon any matter or thing duly submitted to him for examination or analysis and report in the course of any proceeding under this Code, may be used as evidence in any inquiry, trial or other proceeding under this Code.
(2) The Court may, if it thinks fit, summon and examine any such expert as to the subject-matter of his report.
(3) Where any such expert is summoned by a Court, and he is unable to attend personally, he may, unless the Court has expressly directed him to appear personally, depute any responsible officer working with him to attend the Court, if such officer is conversant with the facts of the case and can satisfactorily depose in Court on his behalf.
(4) This section applies to the following Government scientific experts, namely:—
(a) any Chemical Examiner or Assistant Chemical Examiner to Government;
(b) the Chief Controller of Explosives;
(c) the Director of the Finger Print Bureau;
(d) the Director, Haffkeine Institute, Bombay;
(e) the Director, Deputy Director or Assistant Director of a Central Forensic Science Laboratory or a State Forensic Science Laboratory;
(f) the Serologist to the Government;
(g) any other Government scientific expert specified, by notification, by the Central Government for this purpose.

Source: Section 293, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 293 CrPC in Simple Words

Section 293 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 allows any document purporting to be a report under the hand of a Government scientific expert to whom Section 293 CrPC applies to be used as evidence in any inquiry, trial or other proceeding under the Code.

The report must be upon a matter or thing duly submitted to the expert for examination or analysis and report in the course of a proceeding under the Code.

The Court may, if it thinks fit, summon and examine the expert as to the subject-matter of the report, and a summoned expert who is unable to attend personally may depute a responsible officer working with the expert, unless the Court has expressly directed the expert to appear personally.

When Section 293 CrPC Applies

A document purporting to be a report under the hand of a Government scientific expert to whom Section 293 CrPC applies, upon any matter or thing duly submitted for examination or analysis and report in the course of a proceeding under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, may be used as evidence in any inquiry, trial or other proceeding under the Code.
Under Section 293(2) CrPC, the Court may, if it thinks fit, summon and examine the Government scientific expert as to the subject-matter of the expert's report.
Under Section 293(3) CrPC, a summoned expert who is unable to attend personally may depute a responsible officer working with the expert to attend the Court, unless the Court has expressly directed the expert to appear personally.
The responsible officer deputed under Section 293(3) CrPC must be conversant with the facts of the case and able to satisfactorily depose in Court on behalf of the summoned expert.
Section 293(4) CrPC names the Government scientific experts to whom Section 293 CrPC applies, being those in Section 293(4)(a) CrPC to Section 293(4)(f) CrPC and any other Government scientific expert specified, by notification, by the Central Government for this purpose under Section 293(4)(g) CrPC.

Example of Section 293 CrPC

During a trial under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, a seized substance is duly submitted to Rajesh, an Assistant Director of a State Forensic Science Laboratory, for examination and report. Under Section 293(1) CrPC and Section 293(4)(e) CrPC, the report under the hand of Rajesh may be used as evidence in the trial. Later, the Court thinks fit to summon Rajesh under Section 293(2) CrPC to examine Rajesh as to the subject-matter of the report, and has not expressly directed Rajesh to appear personally. Rajesh is unable to attend personally, so Section 293(3) CrPC allows Rajesh to depute Meera, a responsible officer working with Rajesh who is conversant with the facts of the case and can satisfactorily depose in Court on behalf of Rajesh.

When Section 293 CrPC Does Not Apply

Section 293(1) CrPC speaks of a report under the hand of a Government scientific expert to whom Section 293 CrPC applies. It does not deal with a report from a private forensic laboratory.
Section 293(3) CrPC speaks of a summoned expert who is unable to attend personally. It does not deal with a witness who is not a Government scientific expert and is summoned by the Court.

Section 293 CrPC Under BNSS 329: What Changed

Section 293 CrPC is now covered under Section 329 BNSS.

From 1 July 2024, Section 329 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 replaced Section 293 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, with the same heading. Section 329(1) BNSS reads Sanhita where Section 293(1) CrPC read Code, a rename. Section 329(4)(g) BNSS reads any other scientific expert specified or certified, by notification, by the State Government or the Central Government for this purpose, where Section 293(4)(g) CrPC read any other Government scientific expert specified, by notification, by the Central Government for this purpose. Section 329(2) BNSS, Section 329(3) BNSS and Section 329(4)(a) BNSS to Section 329(4)(f) BNSS are in the same words as Section 293(2) CrPC, Section 293(3) CrPC and Section 293(4)(a) CrPC to Section 293(4)(f) CrPC.

View detailed comparison (CrPC 293 vs BNSS 329) →

FAQs on Section 293 CrPC

Which Government scientific experts are covered by Section 293 CrPC?▼

Section 293(4) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 names any Chemical Examiner or Assistant Chemical Examiner to Government, the Chief Controller of Explosives, the Director of the Finger Print Bureau, the Director, Haffkeine Institute, Bombay, the Director, Deputy Director or Assistant Director of a Central Forensic Science Laboratory or a State Forensic Science Laboratory, and the Serologist to the Government. Section 293(4)(g) CrPC names any other Government scientific expert specified, by notification, by the Central Government for this purpose.

Can the Court summon a Government scientific expert whose report is used under Section 293 CrPC?▼

Yes. Section 293(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 provides that the Court may, if it thinks fit, summon and examine any such expert as to the subject-matter of his report. Section 293(1) CrPC provides that a document purporting to be a report under the hand of a Government scientific expert to whom Section 293 CrPC applies may be used as evidence in any inquiry, trial or other proceeding under the Code.

When may a summoned Government scientific expert depute an officer to attend Court under Section 293 CrPC?▼

Under Section 293(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, where a Government scientific expert is summoned by a Court and is unable to attend personally, the expert may, unless the Court has expressly directed the expert to appear personally, depute any responsible officer working with the expert to attend the Court, if such officer is conversant with the facts of the case and can satisfactorily depose in Court on behalf of the expert.

Where is Section 293 CrPC found in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 from 1 July 2024?▼

The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 was replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 from 1 July 2024. Section 293(1) CrPC is found in Section 329(1) BNSS, Section 293(2) CrPC in Section 329(2) BNSS, Section 293(3) CrPC in Section 329(3) BNSS and Section 293(4) CrPC in Section 329(4) BNSS.

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Sources: Bare Act Text, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 · Last updated: 21 Oct 2026 ·