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Section156
The Code of Criminal Procedure Act

Police officer's power to investigate cognizable case

Repealed Act 2 of 1974 As on 18 Oct 2026

Read from the scanned gazette. India Code publishes no text for this Act, so the text below was read from the Government's own scan by machine and split into sections by its numbering. It has not been checked against the page word by word. Where it matters, read the scan. Read the scan.

Act 2 of 1974 Cited by 1 provision

This is a second copy of a Central Act. India Code files it on Delhi's shelf as well as under Parliament, and the text is the same enactment. Read it at The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which is the record this site keeps current.

Read from the scanned gazette. India Code publishes no text for this Act, so this text was read from the Government's own scan by machine and split into sections by its numbering. It has not been checked against the page word by word. Where it matters, read the scan. Read the scan.

Section 156 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act deals with police officer's power to investigate cognizable case. Any officer in charge of a police station may, without the order of a Magistrate, investigate any cognizable case which a Court having jurisdiction over the local area within the limits of such station would have power to inquire into or try under the provisions of Chapter XIII.

(1) Any officer in charge of a police station may, without the order of a Magistrate, investigate any cognizable case which a Court having jurisdiction over the local area within the limits of such station would have power to inquire into or try under the provisions of Chapter XIII.

(2) No proceeding of a police officer in any such case shall at any stage be called in question on the ground that the case was one which such officer was not empowered under this section to investigate.

(3) Any Magistrate empowered under section 190 may order such an investigation as above-mentioned. 1. Ins. by Act 13 of 2013, s. 13 (w.e.f. 3-2-2013). 2. Subs. by Act 22 of 2018, s. 11, for "section 376A, section 376B, section 376C, section 376D" (w.e.f. 21-4-2019).

Section 156, The Code of Criminal Procedure Act (Act 2 of 1974).

Cross-references

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

This section refers to

  1. s. 190 Cognizance of offences by Magistrates

Referred to by 1

  1. s. 157 Procedure for investigation

Questions about Section 156

What does Section 156 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act deal with?

Section 156 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act is headed "Police officer's power to investigate cognizable case". Any officer in charge of a police station may, without the order of a Magistrate, investigate any cognizable case which a Court having jurisdiction over the local area within the limits of such station would have power to inquire into or try under the provisions of Chapter XIII.

How do I find court cases under Section 156 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act?

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: Code Criminal Procedure Act 156, section 156 Code Criminal Procedure Act, section 156 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act. 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 156 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on section 190 (Cognizance of offences by Magistrates), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it.

When was the Code of Criminal Procedure Act enacted?

Code of Criminal Procedure Act was enacted in 1974 as Act 2 of 1974. India Code records no commencement date for it. It is no longer in force.

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. Read from the Government's own scanned gazette with Azure Document Intelligence, then split into sections by their numbering. India Code publishes no text for this Act. The scan itself is mirrored into our own storage and served at /scan/aedad03b-d75d-4ad4-8833-2e467cc050cc.pdf, so the reading here can be checked against the page it came from without depending on India Code's own copy staying where it is (it was at https://indiacode.gov.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/aa576da2-2e5f-4165-923b-39fc1a0f416b/content). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.