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Door 7 of 14

After an acquittal

“I was acquitted. Who pays for my lost years?”

Can you ask for compensation after an acquittal?

In short. You can ask the magistrate for compensation where an accusation was made without reasonable cause. A civil suit for malicious prosecution exists as well. So does a defamation complaint. It is old, rarely used, and worth asking a lawyer about.

General information, not advice on your case. Please speak to your own lawyer, or to your District Legal Services Authority, about your case.

Last updated 17 October 2026.

The door, step by step

  1. You can ask the magistrate for compensation where an accusation was made without reasonable cause.Section 250 CrPC / Section 273 BNSS: compensation for a baseless accusation
  2. A civil suit for malicious prosecution exists as well.
  3. So does a defamation complaint. It is old, rarely used, and worth asking a lawyer about.Section 499 IPC / Section 356 BNS: defamation
What backs it up. The criminal procedure code lets a magistrate order compensation for an accusation made without reasonable cause.Section 250 Code of Criminal Procedure, now Section 273 Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. India Code: indiacode.gov.in. Read the source
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It is slow, but it is not deaf. Related cases are pending and undecided. We name no one. If tonight is heavy, call 14416.

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