Yes, and this is both your right and a practical necessity — so let me explain the process at the Kanpur Nagar district courts clearly, because knowing how to obtain your documents efficiently can save significant time at critical moments, particularly when limitation periods for appeals or revisions are running.

Your entitlement to case records begins from the outset. Under Section 230 of the BNSS (formerly Section 207 CrPC), as soon as the Magistrate takes cognizance on a police report, you are entitled to be supplied — free of cost — with copies of the chargesheet, the statements of witnesses recorded under Section 180 BNSS, the FIR, and every other document that the prosecution intends to rely upon at trial. This supply is not a favour; it is a mandatory right, and it is what allows you and your counsel to understand the full case against you and prepare your defence. If these documents have not been supplied, bring it to your counsel's attention immediately.

For certified copies of subsequent orders, judgments, depositions, and other records generated during the proceedings, the process in Kanpur Nagar district courts runs through the copying section of the court. Your advocate or a court clerk files a certified-copy application specifying the document required, pays the prescribed court fee, and the copying section issues the certified copy within the timelines applicable to the court's copying branch. Certified copies carry official court authentication and can be produced and relied upon in appellate courts and before any authority requiring formal court documentation. The Kanpur Nagar district court, located at Civil Lines, has a functioning copying section for this purpose.

Two practical notes on timing. First, obtain the certified copy of any judgment or order you intend to challenge as soon as it is pronounced — the limitation period for appeal or revision runs from the date of the order, and the time spent obtaining the certified copy is typically not excluded from limitation unless you can show that the delay in getting the copy was the reason for the delay in filing. Move promptly. Second, maintain your own organised set of case documents throughout the proceedings rather than relying on your lawyer alone to hold everything. Having your own file — FIR, chargesheet, orders, and judgments — means you are never caught without a document when your lawyer is unavailable or when you need to consult a second advocate. The criminal lawyers available through the Kanpur panel can assist with certified-copy applications and ensure your file is complete at every stage.