Section 153 CrPC: Inspection of weights and measures

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 153 CrPC at a Glance

Section 153 CrPC dealt with inspection of weights and measures. It has no corresponding section in the BNSS, which replaced the CrPC from 1 July 2024.

What Section 153 CrPC Says

153. Inspection of weights and measures
(1) Any officer in charge of a police station may, without a warrant, enter any place within the limits of such station for the purpose of inspecting or searching for any weights or measures or instruments for weighing, used or kept therein, whenever he has reason to believe that there are in such place any weights, measures or instruments for weighing which are false.
(2) If he finds in such place any weights, measures or instruments for weighing which are false, he may seize the same, and shall forthwith give information of such seizure to a Magistrate having jurisdiction.

Source: Section 153, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 153 CrPC in Simple Words

Section 153 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 enabled the police to act straightaway against the use or storage of false weighing and measuring equipment without waiting for a warrant.

Under Section 153 CrPC, the officer in charge of a police station could enter any place within the station limits to inspect or search for weights, measures, or weighing instruments kept or used there, whenever the officer had reason to believe that any of them were false.

If false items were found, the officer could seize them and had to forthwith inform a Magistrate having jurisdiction.

When Section 153 CrPC Applies

Under Section 153(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the officer heading a police station may enter any premises located inside the local area of that station without a warrant.
The entry under Section 153(1) CrPC is permitted only to check or look for weighing or measuring equipment that is being used or stored at that place.
The officer may exercise this power under Section 153(1) CrPC only when he has reason to believe that false weights, false measures, or false weighing instruments are present at those premises.
If the inspection or search turns up any false weights, measures, or weighing instruments at that place, the officer may take them into custody under Section 153(2) CrPC.
Once false equipment is seized, Section 153(2) CrPC requires that the officer shall forthwith report the seizure to a Magistrate who has jurisdiction over the area.

Time Limits Under Section 153 CrPC

Under Section 153(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the officer in charge of the police station shall report the seizure to the Magistrate having jurisdiction forthwith upon seizing the false equipment.Act text: “shall forthwith give information of such seizure to a Magistrate having jurisdiction”

Example of Section 153 CrPC

Ramesh, the officer in charge of a police station, has reason to believe that Suresh is keeping and using false weights and a false weighing instrument at a shop located within the limits of that police station. Acting under Section 153(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, Ramesh enters the shop without a warrant to inspect and search for the weights and weighing instruments kept and used there. During the inspection, Ramesh finds false weights and a false weighing instrument in the shop. Under Section 153(2) CrPC, Ramesh may seize those false items, and upon seizing them he shall forthwith give information of the seizure to a Magistrate having jurisdiction.

When Section 153 CrPC Does Not Apply

Section 153(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 does not authorize entry or inspection by a police officer who is not the officer in charge of a police station.
An officer in charge of a police station cannot enter a place under Section 153(1) CrPC if that place lies outside the limits of that police station.
Warrantless entry under Section 153(1) CrPC is not permitted when the officer does not have reason to believe that false weights, measures, or instruments for weighing are in that place.
Seizure under Section 153(2) CrPC is not permitted if the weights, measures, or instruments for weighing found in the place are not false.

No Corresponding BNSS Section

No BNSS section

Section 153 CrPC has no counterpart in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

FAQs on Section 153 CrPC

Who could enter a place without a warrant to inspect weights and measures under Section 153 CrPC?▼

Only an officer in charge of a police station had the power to make such an entry under Section 153(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. That officer could enter any place within the limits of that police station without a warrant for the purpose of inspecting or searching for any weights, measures, or instruments for weighing used or kept there, whenever he had reason to believe that false weights, measures, or weighing instruments were in that place.

What conditions had to exist before an officer could enter a place under Section 153 CrPC?▼

For a warrantless entry under Section 153(1) CrPC, the place had to lie within the limits of the police station headed by that officer in charge. In addition, the entry had to be for the purpose of inspecting or searching for any weights, measures, or instruments for weighing that were used or kept in that place. Finally, the officer had to have reason to believe that there were weights, measures, or instruments for weighing in that place which were false.

What could the officer do if false weights or measures were found under Section 153 CrPC?▼

If the officer in charge of the police station found any false weights, false measures, or false instruments for weighing in that place, Section 153(2) CrPC gave him the power to seize them. Seizure was discretionary, as the statute stated that the officer may seize the false items. However, once the officer seized them, Section 153(2) CrPC imposed a mandatory duty that he shall forthwith give information of that seizure to a Magistrate having jurisdiction.

Which section of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 corresponds to Section 153 CrPC?▼

No section of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 corresponds to Section 153 CrPC. The Code functioned until 30 June 2024 and was replaced by the Sanhita from 1 July 2024. In the official comparison tables between the Code and the Sanhita, no section of the Sanhita is listed for Section 153 CrPC, and the Sanhita has no section in place of Section 153 CrPC regarding police inspection and seizure of false weights, measures, or instruments for weighing.

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