Arrest for offences under certain sections
Section 179 of the Railways Act, 1989 deals with arrest for offences under certain sections. If any person commits any offence mentioned in sections 150 to 152, he may be arrested without warrant or other written authority by any railway servant or police officer not below the rank of a head constable. The Act came into force on 01 Jul 1990.
1[179. Arrest for offences under certain sections.-- (1) If any person commits any offence mentioned in sections 150 to 152, he may be arrested without warrant or other written authority by any railway servant or police officer not below the rank of a head constable.
(2) If any person commits any offence mentioned in sections 137 to 139, 141 to 147, 153 to 157, 159 to 167 and 172 to 176, he may be arrested, without warrant or other written authority, by the officer authorised by a notified order of the Central Government.
(3) The railway servant or the police officer or the officer authorised, as the case may be, may call to his aid any other person to effect the arrest under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), as the case may be.
(4) Any person so arrested under this section shall be produced before the nearest Magistrate within a period of twenty-four hours of such arrest excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of the Magistrate.]
Section 179, The Railways Act, 1989 (Act 24 of 1989).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
- s. 137 Fraudulently travelling or attempting to travel without proper pass or ticket
- s. 139 Power to remove persons
- s. 141 Needlessly interfering with means of communication in a train
- s. 147 Trespass and refusal to desist from trespass
- s. 150 Maliciously wrecking or attempting to wreck a train
- s. 152 Maliciously hurting or attempting to hurt persons travelling by railway
- s. 153 Endangering safety of persons travelling by railway by wilful act or omission
- s. 157 Altering or defacing pass or ticket
- s. 159 Disobedience of drivers or conductors of vehicles to directions of railway servant, etc
- s. 167 Smoking
- s. 172 Penalty for intoxication
- s. 176 Obstructing level crossing
Referred to by 6
- s. 2 Definitions
- s. 180 Arrest of persons likely to abscond, etc
- s. 180A Inquiry by officer authorised to ascertain commission of offence
- s. 180C Disposal of persons arrested
- s. 180F Cognizance by Court on a complaint made by officer authorised
- s. 197 Matters supplemental to the definitions of "railway" and "railway servant"
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… Since the railway administration appoints a ticket collector and also having a vigilance team to search the ticketless passenger and can take recourse of the penal provisions as specified under Sections 137, 138, 139 and 179 of the Railways Act. In such circumstances since the railway administration having a mechanism to find out the passengers travelling without valid ticket or pass adopting the recourse as permissible. In such circumstances, presumption can be <span id="page-5-0"></span><sup>2</sup> Misc. Appeal No. 617 of 2008 …
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… To consider the third ground of the petitioners regarding competency of the person, who lodged the prosecution, it is necessary to have a look on the following provisions of the Act. 19. Section 179 of the Railways Act, 1989 provides as follows:— - "179. Arrest for offences under certain sections. - (1) If any person commits any offence mentioned in sections 150 to 152, he may be arrested without warrant or other written authority by any railway servant or police officer not below the rank of …
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… To consider the third ground of the petitioners regarding competency of the person, who lodged the prosecution, it is necessary to have a look on the following provisions of the Act. 19. Section 179 of the Railways Act, 1989 provides as follows:- "179. Arrest for offences under certain sections. – (1) If any person commits any offence mentioned in sections 150 to 152, he may be arrested without warrant or other written authority by any railway servant or police officer not below the rank of a head …
Questions about Section 179
What does Section 179 of the Railways Act deal with?
Section 179 of the Railways Act is headed "Arrest for offences under certain sections". [179. Arrest for offences under certain sections.-- (1) If any person commits any offence mentioned in sections 150 to 152, he may be arrested without warrant or other written authority by any railway servant or police officer not below the rank of a head constable.
How do I find court cases under Section 179 of the Railways 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: Railways Act 1989 179, section 179 Railways Act 1989, section 179 of the Railways 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 179 of the Railways Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 137 (Fraudulently travelling or attempting to travel without proper pass or ticket), section 139 (Power to remove persons), section 141 (Needlessly interfering with means of communication in a train), section 147 (Trespass and refusal to desist from trespass), and on 8 further provisions, so none of them can safely be read on its own. 6 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it.
When did Section 179 of the Railways Act come into force?
Section 179 of the Railways Act, cited as Railways Act 1989 179, came into force on 01 Jul 1990, having been enacted on 03 Jun 1989. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 2. Definitions1289 words
- 90. Disposal of unremoved goods at notified stations852 words
- 20F. Determination of amount payable as compensation652 words
- 89. Power to declare notified stations529 words
- 138. Levy of excess charge and fare for travelling without proper pass or ticket or beyond authorised distance492 words
- 16. Accommodation works485 words
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 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.