Lets a person who reasonably believes they may be arrested for a non-bailable offence apply to a court in advance for a direction that, if arrested, they be released on bail. Compared to the old CrPC provision, BNSS gives courts more open discretion rather than listing specific criteria — but explicitly disallows anticipatory bail for anyone accused of gang rape of a woman under 18.
A genuinely powerful protection if you have real reason to believe police action is coming and want to avoid the disruption of an actual arrest.
How courts have applied this
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This is a plain-English summary, not verbatim statutory text. Adhikar is an independent citizen-awareness platform, not a Government of India website. Always verify against the bare Act (legislative.gov.in) or a qualified advocate before relying on this for an actual legal situation.