BNSS · Section 172 · Chapter XII — PREVENTIVE ACTION OF THE POLICE

Persons bound to conform to lawful directions of police

What this section does

All persons must comply with lawful directions given by a police officer in discharge of duties under this Chapter. A police officer may detain or remove any person who resists, refuses, ignores, or disregards such directions, and must either produce that person before a Magistrate or, in petty cases, release him within twenty-four hours.

AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).

Procedure at a glance

Key actors: Police officer · Magistrate
Time limit: 24 hours (maximum detention before release or production before Magistrate in petty cases)

Old-law correspondence

Derived from CrPC s.153.

Read the official text

For the binding statutory text of BNSS Section 172, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.

Why this matters

BNSS Section 172 forms part of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita which replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 on 1 July 2024. Any new filing, FIR, charge sheet, or bail application made on or after that date should cite the new section number. References to the old act in legacy documents remain valid for matters that arose before the changeover.