(1) After the accused has been indicted according to section 121 and the punishment that may be imposed in such indictment, the court shall ask him what he has to say about such indictment and record his statement.
(2) Before taking a statement from the accused who has appeared in court, if he wants to consult a legal practitioner, he should be given an opportunity to do so.
(3) Before recording the statement according to sub-section (1), the court shall inform the accused that he is not required to give a statement against himself and inform him that the statement given by him may be used as evidence against him.
(4) When informing about the behavior as per sub-section (3), if it is proposed by the public prosecutor to be exempted from the punishment against him, such matter and the provisions of the prevailing law related to it shall also be informed.
(5) When recording the statement of the accused in accordance with this section, both the question and the answer shall be recorded and if the statement is taken through audio-visual communication (video conference), the record shall also be kept.
(6) After the statement as per sub-section (5) has been recorded, the judge shall also affix his signature on such record after making the signature of the accused. But if the statement is taken through audio-visual communication (video conference), the judge must prove such a thing.
(7) In the course of making a statement according to this section, if any matter that the accused should understand is omitted, the court may compel such accused to appear and take a statement from him regarding the omitted matter.
(8) Notwithstanding anything written elsewhere in this section, a person who is a defendant in a case related to an offense under Schedule-4 shall file a reply letter in the format as per Schedule-42 within the time limit issued by the court.