Yes, a foreigner can file a case (Habeas Corpus petition) if they are unlawfully detained.
Theme: Arrest
Who is a proclaimed offender?
The Court declares an accused as a proclaimed offender when it believes that the accused against whom a warrant has been issued, has absconded or concealed himself to evade the warrant.
How long can the police keep me under arrest?
The police need to present you before the Magistrate as soon as possible after you have been arrested. They cannot keep you under arrest for more than 24 hours – this excludes travel time to the court. The police officer will also need to provide a copy of the entries in the case diary to the Magistrate. The case diary is a daily diary kept by an officer detailing all that happens in an investigation. The Supreme Court has directed the police officers to provide the Magistrate with a checklist of the reasons for your arrest along with all documents related to your arrest including the arrest memo.
After you’ve been presented before the Magistrate, the Magistrate can discharge you or grant you bail. Your lawyer should ask for your release if the police only needed to issue a ‘notice of appearance’ and not actually arrest you. The police can detain you beyond 24 hours only with permission of the Magistrate. They may seek ‘police custody’ or ‘judicial custody’. Police custody can only last 15 days from the date of arrest. This means you will be kept inside the lock-up at the police station for a maximum of fourteen more days.
If the police have not been able to file the charge-sheet and depending on the crime you have been suspected of, you can be in judicial custody for up to 90 days for crimes that you could possibly go to prison for more than 10 years, and up to 60 days for all other kinds of offences.
You cannot be sent to jail for more than fourteen days at a time even in judicial custody. You will be brought before the Magistrate after each fourteen day period. After the 60 or 90 day period, you have a right to be released on bail.
Can a doctor or medical officer examine me when I am under arrest?
Yes, there are two purposes for which you can be examined.
- The first is to determine if you as the accused have been hurt or subject to violence by the police. You can ask for a copy of the report prepared by the doctor. If you are a woman, then a female doctor has to conduct the investigation.
- If the police think that a medical examination can prove that you committed a crime, they can ask a doctor to conduct an examination on you. If you do not cooperate with the doctor, they can use reasonable force on you.
Can the police search me when I am arrested?
Yes, the police can search you when they are arresting you. They will keep the things confiscated from you in safe custody. If you are a woman, you can be searched only by another woman police officer/constable. The police have to give you a personal search memo which is a list of all the things that they have taken-this search memo is sometimes known as jamatalashi. They can also take your fingerprints with the permission of the Magistrate.
Can I resist an arrest if I think I should not be arrested?
Resisting an arrest does not help. It only allows the police to use force to arrest you. If you do not submit to being arrested, the police can use all means necessary to arrest you. Though they have a duty not to cause your death, they can use deadly force if you are being accused of a crime which is punishable with death or life imprisonment. In case the proper arrest procedure is not followed please contact your lawyer at the earliest and let your lawyer know of the violations so that he/she can take adequate measures to help you out.
When can the police arrest without a warrant?
The police can arrest you without a warrant in two broad cases:
- You are suspected of having committed a cognizable crime
- The police suspect you are planning to commit a cognizable crime
In the first category, the law lays down the specific situations in which the police can arrest you without an arrest warrant:
- when you commit a crime in front of a police officer (for example at a public event or in a police station);
- when the police have received reliable information or a complaint that you have committed a cognizable crime;
- if the court has declared you as a proclaimed offender;
- if the police found you with stolen property and they suspect you;
- if you cause trouble to a police officer who is performing her duty;
- if you escape from custody;
- if you are suspected of deserting the army;
- if you are a suspect in a crime outside India and you are liable to be brought back to India; or
- if you were convicted of a crime in the past and have violated rules relating to released convicts.
Do the police need an ‘arrest warrant’ to arrest me?
No, they do not need a warrant if they suspect that you committed a serious crime (cognizable offence). Examples include murder, sexual offences, acid attack, rioting, starting a fire etc. Normally, it is the Magistrate who will issue a warrant to arrest you. Since these types of crimes need urgent action from the police, the police can take charge even without permission from the Magistrate.
What are the guidelines to arrest a minor?
India’s legal framework gives special treatment and protection to children below the age of 18 who are in conflict with the law or who commit crimes. Every district has one special juvenile police unit (SJPU) and regular police stations have a Child Welfare Protection Officer (CWPO). Usually, the SJPU has the power of arresting juveniles. In case, A normal police officer arrests the child, the child shall be immediately placed under the protection of the SJPU or the CWPO.(( The Juvenile Justice (Care And Protection Of Children) Act, 2015 NO. 2 OF 2016.)) The child shall continue to remain under the protection of CWPO, who shall be responsible for the child just as a parent/guardian, before the child is brought to the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) within 24 hours of his/her arrest. In case, the child cannot be produced before the Board due to the child being arrested during odd hours or distance, the child shall be kept by the CWPO in the Observation Home or in a fit facility.
After the arrest is made, the following guidelines are to be followed by the officers to ensure the welfare of Juveniles.
- No FIR shall be registered except in cases of heinous offences or where a crime is alleged to have been committed jointly with adults. In all other cases, the alleged offence shall be recorded in the officer’s daily diary.
- The arresting officer shall be in plain clothes and not in uniform while arresting the child.
- The officer arresting the child shall not place him or her in handcuffs, chain or use force on the child.
- The child shall be informed about the reason for the child’s arrest.
- The child shall not be placed in a police lock-up or lodged in the jail.
- The child shall not be asked to sign any statement.
- The CWPO or the SPJU shall inform the parent or guardian of such a child about the child’s arrest and provide them with the address of the JJB before which the child is to be produced and direct them to be present before the JJB.
- A child shall not be forced to confess and shall be interviewed only at the SJPU or at a child friendly premises or a child friendly corner in the police station which does not give the feel of a police station.
The child should be provided with proper medical assistance, assistance of an interpreter or a special educator or any other assistance that the child may require.(( Ministry Of Women And Child Development Notification, Ministry of Women and Child Development, (2016) available at http://cara.nic.in/PDF/english%20model%20rule.pdf.))
Police Arrest With Warrant
An arrest is when a person is physically detained by the police. No person can be detained by the police without being informed of the reasons and the basis in law for their arrest.
Generally, the police need a warrant to arrest someone. Crimes for which a warrant is required are called non-cognizable offences. On receiving information of a non-cognizable crime, the police must take permission from the Magistrate to arrest someone. This permission from the Magistrate is known as a warrant.
Informing Friends and Family
When you are being arrested, before taking you away, you can choose a person (friend or family member) whom the police must inform about your arrest. If the arrested person’s friends or family live in a different district or town, the police must notify them of :
- the time of arrest
- place of arrest
- where the arrested person is being held
The police can notify the relative or friend through the Legal Aid Organisation in the district and the police station of that area within a period of 8 to 12 hours after the arrest.
Rights While Being Arrested
Upon being arrested you have certain rights, namely:
- You can ask the police to identify themselves as they should bear accurate, visible and clear identification and name tags with their designations.
- You can ask the police to call your lawyer. If you do not have a lawyer or cannot afford a lawyer, then you can ask the court to appoint a lawyer for you.
- You can ask the police to show the warrant for arrest, police report and other documents for your arrest and the police are required to show you this.
- You should verify the accuracy of the memo of arrest prepared by the police before signing it. The memo of arrest should contain the date and time of arrest and should be attested by at least one witness.
- You should be informed about your eligibility for bail for the offence by the police.
- You can ask to be examined for major and minor injuries on your body by a trained doctor and the police must comply. This examination has to be done every 48 hours if you are in their custody. This physical examination has to be recorded in the Inspection Memo and signed by the police officer. This is done to prevent violence by police while you are in their custody.
- You should get a copy of the signed Inspection Memo.
Duties of Police During Arrest
Inform
Within 12 hours of the arrest, the police officer has to inform the police control room of
- your arrest
- the place where you are being detained.
Investigate
The police will conduct an investigation and maintain a case diary during the investigation. The case diary is a daily diary kept by an officer detailing all that happens in an investigation. He will need to provide a copy of the entries in the case diary to the Magistrate.
Chargesheet
Based on the investigation the police will then file a charge sheet. The charge sheet should be filed within 90 days if the accused person is in the custody of the police.
Arresting a Woman
Apart from all the rules that need to be followed while making an arrest, the police also have to keep a few important things in mind while arresting a woman. They are:
- A woman cannot be arrested after sunset and before sunrise (unless in exceptional circumstances).
- A lady constable has to be present when a woman is being arrested.
In the exceptional circumstance when the woman has to be arrested at night, the woman police officer has to take permission in writing from the local Judicial Magistrate.
However, to some extent, the Supreme Court has relaxed this rule. If the arresting officer is reasonably satisfied that if the lady officer is not available and the delay in getting the lady officer would impede/obstruct the investigation, he can carry on with arresting the woman. But he has to provide, in his arrest memo, the reasons and circumstances for his actions either before the arrest or immediately after.
Authority to Arrest
While different authorities in law have the right to make arrests, they are generally carried out by the police. Please read our explainer to understand more about arrests by police.
Besides the police, the law also gives power to Magistrates, to arrest people and take them into custody, if the person has committed an offence. There are two types of Magistrates i.e. Executive Magistrates and Judicial Magistrates. An example of an Executive Magistrate is Tehsildar. A Judicial Magistrate is a judge.
Under certain circumstances, the law does permit ordinary people to make arrests if they witness someone committing a very serious crime. In such cases, the person arresting can’t detain them but instead must take them to the nearest police station without any unnecessary delay and hand them over to a police officer.
Fundamental Right Against Illegal Arrests
If someone you know has been detained or arrested by police or any authority who refuses to give any reasons for the detention, then in such cases, the arrested person or the relative/s of such person can file a Habeas Corpus petition before any High Court or the Supreme Court of India.
The Constitution of India grants everyone a fundamental right to ask the Court to order the detaining authority to produce the person so arrested and request the court to investigate if the arrest was legal.
This fundamental right is exercised when a person is arrested and kept in the custody of a detaining authority:
- without being informed of the reasons for the arrest; or
- is denied the right to be defended by a legal practitioner of their choice.
This fundamental right is extremely broad. Please talk to a legal practitioner to understand more of when a Habeas Corpus writ can be filed.
Appearance before Magistrate after Arrest
Anyone who is arrested and in the custody of the police should be produced before the nearest Magistrate within a period of twenty-four hours of their arrest. The police are required to produce every arrested person before the Magistrate to ensure that there have been legal grounds for the arrest of the person. Copies of all the documents including the memo of arrest should be sent to the concerned Magistrate for their record. In the instance of the accused person not being produced before the Magistrate, a Habeas Corpus petition can be filed.
Police Interrogation
The police officers handling the interrogation should bear accurate, visible and clear identification and name tags with their designations. The details of the police personnel who handle your interrogation must be recorded in a register. The arrested person will be permitted to meet their lawyer during interrogation.
Notice Issued by Police
In cases where the police can arrest someone without a warrant but are of the opinion that arrest is not required, they can issue a notice to such person to appear before the police or any place specified in the notice. However, the precondition to such a notice is that there must be a complaint made against him or some reasonable suspicion should exist that he has committed such a crime.
When such a notice has been issued to a person, he is duty-bound by law to comply with the terms of the notice. As long as the person complies, the police will not arrest him (unless they are of the opinion that he should be arrested and has recorded in writing that arrest is necessary).
If the person given notice by the police fails to comply or refuses to identify himself, the police officer may arrest him for the offence mentioned in the notice then the police will approach the Court to get an order to arrest the person.
Arrest Without Warrant
There are certain crimes for which the police can arrest you without a warrant. Such crimes are known in law as cognizable offences. These crimes are usually of serious nature such as rape, murder, assault etc
If any of these scenarios apply to you, then the police do not need the warrant to arrest you:
- When you commit a crime in front of a police officer (for example at a public event or in a police station);
- When the police have received reliable information or a complaint that you have committed a cognizable crime;
- If the court has declared you as a proclaimed offender;
- If the police found you with stolen property and they suspect that you stole it;
- If you cause trouble to a police officer who is performing his duty;
- If you escape from custody of the police or jail;
- If you are suspected of deserting the army;
- If you are a suspect in a crime outside India and you are liable to be brought back to India; or
- If you were convicted of a crime in the past and have violated the conditions of your release.
The possibility of being arrested is much lesser if you have been accused of a cognizable crime with a jail time of fewer than seven years. The police should have reliable information which points to your involvement. Further, you can be arrested only if:
- you are likely to escape, destroy evidence, or influence the victim or witnesses,
- you are likely to commit yet another crime, or
- if your presence is necessary for police investigation.