Section 144A CrPC: Power to prohibit carrying arms in procession or mass drill or mass training with arms

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 144A CrPC at a Glance

Section 144A CrPC dealt with power to prohibit carrying arms in procession or mass drill or mass training with arms. It has no corresponding section in the BNSS, which replaced the CrPC from 1 July 2024.

What Section 144A CrPC Says

144A. Power to prohibit carrying arms in procession or mass drill or mass training with arms
(1) The District Magistrate may, whenever he considers it necessary so to do for the preservation of public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order, by public notice or by order, prohibit in any area within the local limits of his jurisdiction, the carrying of arms in any procession or the organising or holding of, or taking part in, any mass drill or mass training with arms in any public place.
(2) A public notice issued or an order made under this section may be directed to a particular person or to persons belonging to any community, party or organisation.
(3) No public notice issued or an order made under this section shall remain in force for more than three months from the date on which it is issued or made.
(4) The State Government may, if it considers necessary so to do for the preservation of public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order, by notification, direct that a public notice issued or order made by the District Magistrate under this section shall remain in force for such further period not exceeding six months from the date on which such public notice or order was issued or made by the District Magistrate would have, but for such direction, expired, as it may specify in the said notification.
(5) The State Government may, subject to such control and directions as it may deem fit to impose, by general or special order, delegate its powers under sub-section (4) to the District Magistrate.
Explanation
The word “arms” shall have the meaning assigned to it in section 153AA of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

Source: Section 144A, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 144A CrPC in Simple Words

Section 144A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 empowered the District Magistrate to prohibit armed processions and armed drills within the local limits of his jurisdiction. The District Magistrate could issue a public notice or order whenever he considered it necessary so to do for the preservation of public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order.

The prohibition covered carrying arms in any procession, as well as organising, holding, or taking part in any mass drill or mass training with arms in any public place. It could target a particular person or persons belonging to any community, party, or organisation.

When Section 144A CrPC Applies

Under Section 144A(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the District Magistrate may issue a public notice or order prohibiting armed processions or mass armed drills or training in any public place within his local jurisdiction whenever he considers it necessary so to do for the preservation of public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order.
A public notice or order under Section 144A(2) CrPC may be addressed to an individual person or to members of any community, party, or organisation.
The State Government may, by notification under Section 144A(4) CrPC, extend the operation of the District Magistrate's public notice or order if it considers necessary so to do for the preservation of public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order.
The State Government may, by general or special order under Section 144A(5) CrPC, delegate its extension power under Section 144A(4) CrPC to the District Magistrate, subject to such control and directions as it may deem fit to impose.

Time Limits Under Section 144A CrPC

A public notice issued or order made under Section 144A(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 shall not remain in force for more than three months from the date on which it is issued or made.Act text: “No public notice issued or an order made under this section shall remain in force for more than three months”
By notification under Section 144A(4) CrPC, the State Government may direct that the District Magistrate's public notice or order shall remain in force for a further specified period not exceeding six months from the date on which it would have otherwise expired.Act text: “shall remain in force for such further period not exceeding six months”

Example of Section 144A CrPC

Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, an organisation led by Rajesh plans to hold a procession carrying arms and to conduct a mass training with arms in a public place within a district. The District Magistrate, Anand, considers it necessary so to do for the preservation of public peace and for the maintenance of public order. Under Section 144A(1) and Section 144A(2) CrPC, Anand issues an order directed to Rajesh and persons belonging to his organisation, prohibiting the carrying of arms in any procession and any mass training with arms in any public place within his jurisdiction. Under Section 144A(3) CrPC, this order cannot remain in force for more than three months.

When Section 144A CrPC Does Not Apply

Section 144A(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 does not empower the District Magistrate to issue a prohibition unless he considers it necessary so to do for the preservation of public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order.
The District Magistrate cannot issue a public notice or order under Section 144A(1) CrPC for an area outside the local limits of his jurisdiction.
A prohibition on mass drill or mass training under Section 144A(1) CrPC applies only to mass drill or mass training with arms in a public place, and not where arms are not involved or the place is not a public place.
Section 144A CrPC does not apply to objects that do not fall within the meaning assigned to the word arms in Section 153AA of the Indian Penal Code.

No Corresponding BNSS Section

No BNSS section

Section 144A CrPC has no counterpart in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

FAQs on Section 144A CrPC

What activities could the District Magistrate prohibit under Section 144A CrPC?▼

The District Magistrate could prohibit the carrying of arms in any procession within the local limits of his jurisdiction under Section 144A(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. He could also prohibit organising, holding, or taking part in any mass drill or mass training with arms in any public place. He could act by public notice or order whenever he considered it necessary so to do for the preservation of public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order.

How long could a prohibition under Section 144A CrPC remain in force, and could it be extended?▼

No public notice issued or order made under Section 144A(3) CrPC could remain in force for more than three months from the date it was issued or made. The State Government could, by notification under Section 144A(4) CrPC, direct that it shall remain in force for a further specified period not exceeding six months from its expiry date, if it considered it necessary so to do for the preservation of public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order.

Could the State Government delegate its power to extend a notice or order under Section 144A CrPC?▼

Yes. Section 144A(5) CrPC permitted the State Government, by general or special order, to delegate its powers under Section 144A(4) CrPC to the District Magistrate. This delegation allowed the District Magistrate to exercise the power to extend a public notice or order for a further period not exceeding six months. The State Government could make this delegation subject to such control and directions as it deemed fit to impose.

To whom could a public notice or order be directed, and what did the word arms mean in Section 144A CrPC?▼

A public notice issued or an order made under Section 144A(2) CrPC could be directed to a particular person or to persons belonging to any community, party, or organisation. Under the Explanation to Section 144A CrPC, the word arms had the meaning assigned to it in Section 153AA of the Indian Penal Code. That meaning applied to the prohibition on carrying arms in a procession or taking part in a mass drill or mass training with arms under Section 144A CrPC.

What happened to Section 144A CrPC from 1 July 2024?▼

Section 144A CrPC remained in force under the Code until 30 June 2024. The Code was replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 from 1 July 2024. The official comparison tables list no BNSS section for Section 144A CrPC, and the Sanhita has no section in place of Section 144A CrPC. As a result, the Sanhita contains no counterpart provision giving the District Magistrate or the State Government the powers that were set out in Section 144A CrPC.

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Disclaimer: This is for informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified advocate for legal advice.

Sources: Bare Act Text, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 · Last updated: 22 Oct 2026 ·