Section44
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023

Search of place entered by person sought to be arrested

In force From 01 Jul 2024 Act 46 of 2023 As on 14 Oct 2026

Act 46 of 2023 Ministry Home Affairs Enacted 25 Dec 2023 In force 01 Jul 2024 Cited by 2 provisions

Section 44 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 deals with search of place entered by person sought to be arrested. If any person acting under a warrant of arrest, or any police officer having authority to arrest, has reason to believe that the person to be arrested has entered into, or is within, any place, any person residing in, or being in charge of, such place shall, on demand of such person acting as afores The Act came into force on 01 Jul 2024.

(1) If any person acting under a warrant of arrest, or any police officer having authority to arrest, has reason to believe that the person to be arrested has entered into, or is within, any place, any person residing in, or being in charge of, such place shall, on demand of such person acting as aforesaid or such police officer, allow him free ingress thereto, and afford all reasonable facilities for a search therein.

(2) If ingress to such place cannot be obtained under sub-section (1), it shall be lawful in any case for a person acting under a warrant and in any case in which a warrant may issue, but cannot be obtained without affording the person to be arrested an opportunity of escape, for a police officer to enter such place and search therein, and in order to effect an entrance into such place, to break open any outer or inner door or window of any house or place, whether that of the person to be arrested or of any other person, if after notification of his authority and purpose, and demand of admittance duly made, he cannot otherwise obtain admittance:

Provided that if any such place is an apartment in the actual occupancy of a female (not being the person to be arrested) who, according to custom, does not appear in public, such person or police officer shall, before entering such apartment, give notice to such female that she is at liberty to withdraw and shall afford her every reasonable facility for withdrawing, and may then break open the apartment and enter it.

(3) Any police officer or other person authorised to make an arrest may break open any outer or inner door or window of any house or place in order to liberate himself or any other person who, having lawfully entered for the purpose of making an arrest, is detained therein.

Section 44, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act 46 of 2023).

Replaces a provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure

CRPC 47 Search of place entered by person sought to be arrested Text carried over almost unchanged 100%

Measured by comparing the text of the two provisions, not taken from an official correspondence table — there is no machine-readable one. See both texts side by side before relying on it.

Both regimes are live. The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force. We never redirect one to the other.

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

Questions about Section 44

What does Section 44 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita deal with?

Section 44 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita is headed "Search of place entered by person sought to be arrested". If any person acting under a warrant of arrest, or any police officer having authority to arrest, has reason to believe that the person to be arrested has entered into, or is within, any place, any person residing in, or being in charge of, such place shall, on demand of such person acting as afores

How do I find court cases under Section 44 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: BNSS 44, section 44 BNSS, section 44 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.

What should I read with Section 44 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and has it changed?

2 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. It carries forward CrPC 47 (Search of place entered by person sought to be arrested), so the judgments decided under that provision are the case law on this one.

When did Section 44 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita come into force?

Section 44 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, cited as BNSS 44, came into force on 01 Jul 2024, having been enacted on 25 Dec 2023. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 14 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.