BNSS §35
When police may arrest without warrant
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Comparison
41. When police may arrest without warrant.—(1) Any police officer may without an order from a Magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person— 1[(a) who commits, in the presence of a police officer, a cognizable offence; (b) against whom a reasonable complaint has been made, or credible information has been received, or a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed a cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may be less than seven years or which may extend to seven years whether with or without fine, if the following conditions are satisfied, namely:— (i) the police officer has reason to believe on the basis of such complaint, information, or suspicion that such person has committed the said offence; (ii) the police officer is satisfied that such arrest is necessary— (a) to prevent such person from committing any further offence; or (b) for proper investigation of the offence; or (c) to prevent such person from causing the evidence of the offence to disappear or tampering with such evidence in any manner; or (d) to prevent such person from making any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the Court or to the police officer; or (e) as unless such person is arrested, his presence in the Court whenever required cannot be ensured, and the police officer shall record while making such arrest, his reasons in writing: 2[Provided that a police officer shall, in all cases where the arrest of a person is not required under the provisions of this sub-section, record the reasons in writing for not making the arrest.]; (ba) against whom credible information has been received that he has committed a cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to more than seven years whether with or without fine or with death sentence and the police officer has reason to believe on the basis of that information that such person has committed the said offence;] (c) who has been proclaimed as an offender either under this Code or by order of the State Government; or (d) in whose possession anything is found which may reasonably be suspected to be stolen property and who may reasonably be suspected of having committed an offence with reference to such thing; or (e) who obstructs a police officer while in the execution of his duty, or who has escaped, or attempts to escape, from lawful custody; or (f) who is reasonably suspected of being a deserter from any of the Armed Forces of the Union; or (g) who has been concerned in, or against whom a reasonable complaint has been made, or credible information has been received, or a reasonable suspicion exists, of his having been concerned in, any act committed at any place out of India which, if committed in India, would have been punishable as an offence, and for which he is, under any law relating to extradition, or otherwise, liable to be apprehended or detained in custody in India; or (h) who, being a released convict, commits a breach of any rule made under sub-section
(5) of section 356; or 1. Subs. by Act 5 of 2009, s. 5, for cls. (a) and (b) (w.e.f. 1-11-2010). 2. Ins. by Act 41 of 2010, s. 2 (w.e.f. 2-11-2010). (i) for whose arrest any requisition, whether written or oral, has been received from another police officer, provided that the requisition specifies the person to be arrested and the offence or other cause for which the arrest is to be made and it appears therefrom that the person might lawfully be arrested without a warrant by the officer who issued the requisition. 1[(2) Subject to the provisions of section 42, no person concerned in a non-cognizable offence or against whom a complaint has been made or credible information has been received or reasonable suspicion exists of his having so concerned, shall be arrested except under a warrant or order of a Magistrate.]
(1) Any police officer may without an order from a Magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person—
(a) who commits, in the presence of a police officer, a cognizable offence;
(b) against whom a reasonable complaint has been made, or credible information has been received, or a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed a cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may be less than seven years or which may extend to seven years whether with or without fine, if the following conditions are satisfied, namely:— (i) the police officer has reason to believe on the basis of such complaint, information, or suspicion that such person has committed the said offence; (ii) the police officer is satisfied that such arrest is necessary— to prevent such person from committing any further offence; or for proper investigation of the offence; or to prevent such person from causing the evidence of the offence to disappear or tampering with such evidence in any manner; or to prevent such person from making any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the Court or to the police officer; or as unless such person is arrested, his presence in the Court whenever required cannot be ensured, and the police officer shall record while making such arrest, his reasons in writing: Provided that a police officer shall, in all cases where the arrest of a person is not required under the provisions of this sub-section, record the reasons in writing for not making the arrest.
(7) No arrest shall be made without prior permission of an officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police in case of an offence which is punishable for less than three years and such person is infirm or is above sixty years of age.
What changedAI-inferred
When police may arrest without warrant — BNSS 35 introduces magistrate-notification within 24 hours; arrest of person 60+ for offences with 3-year+ punishment requires DSP-rank prior permission.
Old position
CrPC 41 is concerned with When police may arrest without warrant. When police may arrest without warrant
New position
BNSS 35 modifies the framework. Topic: When police may arrest without warrant. Any police officer may without an order from a Magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person
When police may arrest without warrant — BNSS 35 introduces magistrate-notification within 24 hours; arrest of person 60+ for offences with 3-year+ punishment requires DSP-rank prior permission.
Editorial deltaAI-indicated (source-linked)
BNSS 35 carries forward the CrPC 41 spine of arrest-without-warrant authority on the supplied bare-act extract: sub-section (1)(a) preserves arrest in presence of a police officer character-identically, and sub-section (1)(b) preserves the cognizable-offence-punishable-up-to-seven-years trigger together with the necessity-conditions list and the reasons-in-writing proviso for both arrest and non-arrest. The visible operative delta is BNSS 35(7), which adds a new precondition: No arrest shall be made without prior permission of an officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police in case of an offence which is punishable for less than three years and such person is infirm or is above sixty years of age. CrPC 41(1)(ba)-(i) and sub-section (2) are not in this extract; the numbering jump from (1) to (7) signals partial input_coverage and the carry-forward of the remaining trigger list and the non-cognizable warrant rule is not text-confirmed.
Transitional note (repeal & savings)
For matters initiated before 1 July 2024, CrPC 41 continues to apply. For matters from that date forward, BNSS 35 applies. The transition is governed by the repeal-and-savings clause in the new code (BNS 358 / BNSS 531 / BSA 170 as the case may be); pending proceedings under the old code carry forward unaffected.
Frequently asked
BNSS 35 (When police may arrest without warrant). The relationship is classified as modified — see the change-note above for the textual delta.
Sources
- India Code — Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
- Gazette of India — Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
Cite this page
Newlaws.in, CRPC §41 → BNSS §35 Mapping Page, last updated 2026-05-01, accessed 2026-06-15, https://newlaws.in/bnss/35.
Compiled using AI-assisted tools · Source-linked · Last updated 2026-05-01
Not legal advice. Verify against the bare act and consult a qualified advocate for any specific matter.