There is a need to do justice to the victims of a crime and achieve a fair balance by awarding a just sentence to the convicts, treating them in a manner that tends to facilitate their rehabilitation. Chapter 23 of the BNSS addresses the concept of plea bargaining, which aims to facilitate and enable the trial judge to arrive at a mutually satisfactory disposition of a criminal case by actively engaging the victim of a crime. It is the duty of a trial judge to utilize this tool given by the Parliament to ensure a fair and just termination of a criminal case. Application (S289) Provisions relating to plea bargaining apply to the accused against whom: 1 The police report (S193 r/w S2(t)) has been filed alleging the commission of an offence 2 The magistrate has taken cognizance of an offence on the complaint and after examining the complainant and witnesses (S223), issued process (S227) The provisions relating to plea bargaining shall not apply to the following cases: 1 ...