Learn the Code as the timeline of a criminal case. When a problem question gives you a fact pattern, place it on that timeline first — pre-trial, trial or post-trial — and the relevant sections follow.
Key sections — study pointers
Our notes on what to look for. They are not the text of the law.
| Section | Heading | Study note |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | Arrest without warrant | Police powers of arrest without a warrant. Read together with the safeguards in Article 33 of the Constitution and the Supreme Court's guidelines on this section. |
| 61 | Detention beyond 24 hours | A person arrested without a warrant must not be detained for more than twenty-four hours without a Magistrate's order. |
| 154 | First information report | Recording information about a cognizable offence. Distinguish a complaint to a Magistrate (s.200). |
| 164 | Recording confessions and statements | The procedure a Magistrate must follow before recording a confession. Non-compliance affects admissibility and weight. |
| 167 | Remand | The procedure when an investigation cannot be completed within twenty-four hours. |
| 190 | Cognizance by Magistrates | Three routes: a complaint, a police report, or information or knowledge of the Magistrate. |
| 496–498 | Bail | Bailable offences (s.496), non-bailable offences (s.497), and the concurrent power of the High Court Division and Court of Session (s.498). |
| 561A | Inherent powers of the High Court Division | Used to prevent abuse of the process of a court or otherwise secure the ends of justice, including quashing proceedings. |