Section 7 CrPC: Territorial divisions

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 7 CrPC at a Glance

Section 7 CrPC deals with territorial divisions. From 1 July 2024 it is replaced by Section 7 BNSS.

Now BNSS

Section 7 →

What Section 7 CrPC Says

7. Territorial divisions

(1) Every State shall be a sessions division or shall consist of sessions divisions; and every sessions division shall, for the purposes of this Code, be a district or consist of districts:

Provided that every metropolitan area shall, for the said purposes, be a separate sessions division and district.

(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 Code, shall be deemed to have been formed under this section.

Source: Section 7, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 7 CrPC in Simple Words

Section 7 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 deals with territorial divisions. Every State shall be a sessions division or consist of sessions divisions, and every sessions division shall be a district or consist of districts.

Under the proviso, every metropolitan area shall be a separate sessions division and district. The State Government may, after consultation with the High Court, alter the limits or number of divisions and districts, and divide any district into sub-divisions.

Sessions divisions, districts and sub-divisions existing at the commencement of the Code shall be deemed to have been formed under Section 7 CrPC.

When Section 7 CrPC 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 Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
  • Under the proviso to Section 7(1) CrPC, every metropolitan area shall, for the purposes of the Code, be a separate sessions division and district.
  • The State Government may change the boundaries or the total count of sessions divisions and districts in the State under Section 7(2) CrPC, provided it acts after consultation with the High Court.
  • The State Government may split any district into smaller sub-divisions and may change the boundaries or the total count of those sub-divisions under Section 7(3) CrPC after consultation with the High Court.
  • All sessions divisions, districts, and sub-divisions that already existed in a State when the Code came into force shall be treated by law as having been created under Section 7(4) CrPC.

Example of Section 7 CrPC

In a State, the State Government proposes to divide a district into sub-divisions and to join a metropolitan area with a neighbouring district. Under the proviso to Section 7(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, every metropolitan area shall be a separate sessions division and district, so the metropolitan area cannot be joined with the neighbouring district. Under Section 7(3) CrPC, the State Government may divide the district into sub-divisions after consultation with the High Court.

When Section 7 CrPC Does Not Apply

  • Section 7(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 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) CrPC 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) CrPC does not apply to sessions divisions, districts, or sub-divisions that were not existing in a State at the commencement of the Code.

Section 7 CrPC Under BNSS 7: What Changed

Section 7 CrPC is now covered under Section 7 BNSS.

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.

View detailed comparison (CrPC 7 vs BNSS 7) →

FAQs on Section 7 CrPC

How are States divided into sessions divisions and districts under Section 7 CrPC?▼

Section 7(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 states that every State shall be a sessions division or shall consist of sessions divisions. Every sessions division shall, for the purposes of the Code, be a district or consist of districts. However, the proviso to Section 7(1) CrPC modifies this general rule by providing that every metropolitan area shall, for the said purposes, be a separate sessions division and district.

Who may alter the limits or number of sessions divisions, districts, and sub-divisions under Section 7 CrPC?▼

The State Government holds the power to change territorial boundaries and counts under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, subject to consulting the High Court. Under Section 7(2) CrPC, the State Government may, after consultation with the High Court, alter the limits or the number of sessions divisions and districts. Similarly, under Section 7(3) CrPC, 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 happened to sessions divisions, districts, and sub-divisions that existed when the Code commenced?▼

Section 7(4) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 provides that the sessions divisions, districts and sub-divisions existing in a State at the commencement of the Code shall be deemed to have been formed under Section 7 CrPC.

Where is Section 7 CrPC found in the new law from 1 July 2024?▼

The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 was replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 from 1 July 2024. Section 7 CrPC is found in Section 7 BNSS. Section 7(1) CrPC, Section 7(2) CrPC, Section 7(3) CrPC and Section 7(4) CrPC map to Section 7(1) BNSS, Section 7(2) BNSS, Section 7(3) BNSS and Section 7(4) BNSS. The proviso to Section 7(1) CrPC on metropolitan areas has no counterpart in Section 7 BNSS.

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