BNSS Section 81 — Warrant directed to police officer for execution outside jurisdiction

CHAPTER VI PROCESSES TO COMPEL APPEARANCE — B.—Warrant of arrest

Criminal

Summary

If a warrant is issued by a court and needs to be served outside that court's area, the police officer who has the warrant must normally take it to a local Executive Magistrate or a senior police officer (at least the rank of station house officer) in the area where the warrant is to be served. That local official will sign the warrant, and this signature gives the police officer the authority to carry out the warrant, and local police must help if needed. However, if getting that signature would cause a delay that could stop the warrant from being served, the police officer can go ahead and serve the warrant in the other area without getting the signature first.

Official Text

(1) When a warrant directed to a police officer is to be executed beyond the local jurisdiction of the Court issuing the same, he shall ordinarily take it for endorsement either to an Executive Magistrate or to a police officer not below the rank of an officer in charge of a police station, within the local limits of whose jurisdiction the warrant is to be executed.

(2) Such Magistrate or police officer shall endorse his name thereon and such endorsement shall be sufficient authority to the police officer to whom the warrant is directed to execute the same, and the local police shall, if so required, assist such officer in executing such warrant.

(3) Whenever there is reason to believe that the delay occasioned by obtaining the endorsement of the Magistrate or police officer within whose local jurisdiction the warrant is to be executed will prevent such execution, the police officer to whom it is directed may execute the same without such endorsement in any place beyond the local jurisdiction of the Court which issued it.

Related Judgments

  • SC (2025) Vol.6 p.545 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
  • SC (2025) Vol.5 p.730 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
  • SC (2024) Vol.7 p.979 — Supreme Court of India (2024)
  • SC (2025) Vol.2 p.1588 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
  • .. Petitioner/Accused No.12 vs The State of Tamilnadu, — Madras High Court ()
  • SC (2025) Vol.3 p.1309 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
  • SC (2025) Vol.2 p.424 — Supreme Court of India (2025)
  • SC (2025) Vol.1 p.1469 — Supreme Court of India (2025)

Old <-> New Code Mapping

  • CrPC §79 — Warrant directed to police officer for execution outside jurisdiction