Section 50 CrPC: Person arrested to be informed of grounds of arrest and of right to bail

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 50 CrPC at a Glance

Section 50 CrPC deals with person arrested to be informed of grounds of arrest and of right to bail. From 1 July 2024 it is replaced by Section 47 BNSS. Popularly called grounds of arrest. Grounds of arrest must be communicated forthwith; the text is unchanged.

Now BNSS

Section 47 →

What Section 50 CrPC Says

50. Person arrested to be informed of grounds of arrest and of right to bail
(1) Every police officer or other person arresting any person without warrant shall forthwith communicate to him full particulars of the offence for which he is arrested or other grounds for such arrest.
(2) Where a police officer arrests without warrant any person other than a person accused of a non-bailable offence, he shall inform the person arrested that he is entitled to be released on bail and that he may arrange for sureties on his behalf.

Source: Section 50, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

Section 50 CrPC in Simple Words

Section 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 ensures that a person arrested without warrant knows the reason for the arrest and their right to seek bail where applicable.

Any police officer or other person making an arrest without warrant shall forthwith communicate the full particulars of the offence or other grounds for the arrest to the arrested person.

Furthermore, when a police officer arrests without warrant a person who is not accused of a non-bailable offence, Section 50 CrPC requires the officer to inform the arrested person that they are entitled to be released on bail and may arrange for sureties.

When Section 50 CrPC Applies

Every police officer or any other person who arrests a person without warrant is bound by the duty under Section 50(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
The person making the arrest without warrant shall forthwith communicate to the arrested person the full details of the offence or any other grounds for the arrest under Section 50(1) CrPC.
A police officer who arrests without warrant a person not accused of a non-bailable offence has an additional duty under Section 50(2) CrPC.
In such an arrest, the police officer shall inform the arrested person of the entitlement to be released on bail and that the arrested person may arrange for sureties under Section 50(2) CrPC.

Time Limits Under Section 50 CrPC

Under Section 50(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the communication of full particulars of the offence or other grounds for the arrest to the person arrested without warrant shall take place forthwith upon the arrest.Act text: “shall forthwith communicate to him full particulars of the offence”

Example of Section 50 CrPC

Police officer Rajesh arrests Suresh without warrant. Suresh is not accused of a non-bailable offence. Under Section 50(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, Rajesh shall forthwith communicate to Suresh the full particulars of the offence for which Suresh is arrested or other grounds for such arrest. Because Rajesh is a police officer arresting without warrant a person other than a person accused of a non-bailable offence, Section 50(2) CrPC also applies. Rajesh shall therefore inform Suresh that he is entitled to be released on bail and that he may arrange for sureties on his behalf.

When Section 50 CrPC Does Not Apply

Section 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 does not apply where a person is not arrested without warrant.
The duty under Section 50(2) CrPC to inform the arrested person of the entitlement to be released on bail and to arrange for sureties does not apply where the arrest without warrant is made by a person other than a police officer.
The duty under Section 50(2) CrPC to inform the arrested person of the entitlement to be released on bail and that he may arrange for sureties does not apply when the person arrested without warrant is accused of a non-bailable offence.

Grounds of Arrest Under BNSS 47: What Changed

Section 50 CrPC is now covered under Section 47 BNSS.

Section 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 became Section 47 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 from 1 July 2024. The only difference between Section 50 CrPC and Section 47 BNSS is the renumbering of the section, which is a change of form. Every word of the title, Section 50(1) CrPC, and Section 50(2) CrPC is preserved without alteration in Section 47(1) BNSS and Section 47(2) BNSS. Both the duty to forthwith communicate the grounds of arrest without warrant and the duty to inform about bail remain unchanged.

View detailed comparison (CrPC 50 vs BNSS 47) →

FAQs on Section 50 CrPC

Who has the duty to communicate the grounds of arrest under Section 50 CrPC?▼

Section 50(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 places the duty on every police officer and on any other person who arrests a person without warrant. Whenever such an arrest without warrant is made, the police officer or other person arresting the individual shall forthwith communicate to the arrested person the full particulars of the offence for which he is arrested or the other grounds for such arrest.

When shall a police officer inform an arrested person about the right to bail under Section 50 CrPC?▼

The duty to inform the arrested person about the entitlement to bail applies when a police officer arrests without warrant any person other than a person accused of a non-bailable offence. In that situation, Section 50(2) CrPC requires that the police officer shall inform the person arrested that he is entitled to be released on bail and that he may arrange for sureties on his behalf.

What information shall be communicated to a person arrested without warrant under Section 50(1) CrPC?▼

The police officer or other person making an arrest without warrant shall forthwith communicate to the arrested person the full particulars of the offence for which he is arrested or other grounds for such arrest under Section 50(1) CrPC. Communicating either the full particulars of the offence or the other grounds for the arrest is mandatory and shall be done forthwith.

Where does Section 50 CrPC sit in the BNSS from 1 July 2024?▼

The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 was replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 from 1 July 2024. Under the official mapping, Section 50 CrPC corresponds to Section 47 BNSS, and Section 50(2) CrPC corresponds to Section 47(2) BNSS. From 1 July 2024, the duty to forthwith communicate the grounds of arrest without warrant and the duty of a police officer to inform the arrested person about the entitlement to bail and sureties are governed by Section 47 BNSS.

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