Indian Judicial system. A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case in which a prosecutor and a defendant arrange to settle the case against the defendant. Plea bargaining was introduced through the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2005.
The defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for some agreement from the prosecutor as to the punishment. In plea bargaining, the prosecutor agrees to reduce the charges against the defendant and may dismiss some of the charges against him. The effects of plea bargaining are manifold. It saves the litigation costs of both the parties. It saves the time of the court. The under-trial gets lesser punishment. Relief to large number of under trials
It is applicable only in respect of those offence for which punishment of imprisonment is up to a period of 7 years, it does not apply where such offence affects the socio-economic condition of the country or has been committed against a woman or a child below the age of 14 years.
