The Gujarat Judicial Proceedings (Regulation Reports) Act, 1955

 

 

GOVERNMENT OF GUJARAT 
LEGISLATIVE AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT 

THE BOMBAY ACT NO. XVIII OF 1955 

THE GUJARAT JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS 

(REGULATION OF REPORTS) ACT,1955   

(As modified upto the 31st October, 2012) 

 



1955 : Bom. XVIII] 

THE GUJARAT JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS (REGULATION OF REPORTS) ACT, 1955. 

.................................... 

CONTENTS 

PREAMBLE PAGE NO. 

SECTIONS. 

1. Short title, extent and commencement. 1 

2. Definitions. 

3. Restrictions on publication of reports of judicial proceedings. 

4. Penalty.  

5. Jurisdiction to try offences. 

6. Previous sanction. 

7. Forfeiture and seizure of newspaper, etc., under section 99A 

 of Criminal Procedure Code. 

8. Operation of other laws. 

 SCHEDULE. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



BOMBAY ACT No. XVIII OF 1955.1 

[THE GUJARAT JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS (REGULATION OF REPORTS) ACT, 1955.] 

[6th May, 1955] 

An Act to regulate the publication of reports of judicial proceedings. 

WHEREAS it is necessary to regulate the publication of reports of judicial proceedings, 

so as to prevent the publication of obscene or indecent matter and other matters, the 

publication of which will not be in the public interest ; It is hereby enacted in the Sixth 

Year of the Republic of India, as follows :– 

1. (1) This Act may be called the 2[Gujarat] Judicial Proceedings (Regulation 

Reports) Act, 1955. 

 (2) It extends to the whole of the State of Bombay. 

 (3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government by 

notification the Official Gazette appoints. 

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires :– 

 (a) “book” includes every volume, part or division of a volume, pamphlet 

and leaflet, in any language and every sheet of music, map, chart or plan 

separately printed or lithographed or otherwise mechanically produced 

; 

 (b) “document” includes any painting, drawing or photograph or other 

visible representation ; 

 (c) “judicial proceedings” includes any proceedings in the course of which 

evidence is or may be legally taken on oath ; 

 (d) “matrimonial matter” means any proceedings for dissolution or nullity 

of marriage, or for judicial separation, or for restitution of conjugal 

rights ; 

 (e) “newspaper” means any periodical work containing public news or 

comments on public news. 

 

Short title and 

commencement. 

Definitions. 



3. No person shall print or publish or cause to be printed or published,- 

 (a) in respect of any judicial proceedings, any indecent or obscene matter, 

or any indecent or obscene details whether medical, surgical or 

physiological, which would be calculated to injure the public morals ; 

 (b) in respect of any matrimonial matter or any judicial proceedings in 

connection with the offence under section 497 of the Indian Penal Code, 

any particulars other than the following, that is to say :- 

  (1) the names of the parties ; and 

  (2) the order of the Court ; 

 (c) in respect of any judicial proceedings in connection with an offence 

under section 354, 366, 366A, 366B, 376, 377 or 498 of the Indian Penal 

Code, any particulars other than the following, that is to say :– 

  (1) the name, occupation and address of the accused ; and 

  (2) the order of the Court, without disclosing the identity of, or 

giving particulars calculated to lead to the identification of, any 

person who make have been a victim of the offence : 

Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to the printing of any pleading 

transcript of evidence or other document for use in connection with any judicial 

proceedings or the communication thereof to persons concerned in the proceeding or 

to the printing or publishing of any notice or report in pursuance of the directions of the 

Court or to the printing or publishing of any matter in a separate volume or part of any 

bona fide series of law reports or in any publication of a technical character bona fide 

intended for circulation among members of the legal or medical professions. 

4. Whoever contravenes the provisions of this Act shall, on conviction, be 

punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or 

with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both; and any 

newspaper, book or document (including all copies thereof) in respect of which 

an offence has been committed shall also be liable to be forfeited to the State 

Government. 

5. No Court inferior to that of the Presidency Magistrate or a Magistrate of the 

first class shall try any offence under this Act. 

Restrictions on 

publication of 

judicial 

proceedings. 

XLV of 1860. 

Penalty. 

Jurisdiction to try 

offences. 



6. No Court shall take cognizance of an offence under this Act except with the 

previous sanction of the State Government. 

7. The provisions of section 99A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, are 

hereby amended as specified in the Schedule to this Act and the provisions of 

the said section as amended shall, notwithstanding anything contained in 

section 4, apply in respect of any newspaper, book or document, which appears 

to the State Government to contain any matter in contravention of the 

provisions of this Act. 

8. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to prevent any person from being 

prosecuted under any other law for any act which is an offence under this Act. 

SCHEDULE 

(See section 7) 

In section 99A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, after the words “appears to the 

State Government to contain” the words “in respect of any judicial proceedings any  

indecent or obscene matter or any indecent or obscene details, whether medical, 

surgical or physiological, which would be calculated to injure the public morals, or” shall 

be inserted. 

----------------- 

1. For Statement of Objects and Reasons, see Bombay Government Gazette, 1955, 

Part V, p. 3. 

2. The word “Gujarat” was substituted for the word “Bombay” by Guj. 15 of 2011, s. 3. 

 

Previous sanction. 

Forfeiture and 

seizure of 

newspaper, etc., 

under section 99A 

of Criminal 

Procedure Code. 

Operation of other 

laws.