Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
Section 172
Persons bound to conform to lawful directions of police
(1) All persons shall be bound to conform to the lawful directions of a police officer given in fulfilment of any of his duty under this Chapter.
(2) A police officer may detain or remove any person resisting, refusing, ignoring or disregarding to conform to any direction given by him under sub-section (1) and may either take such person before a Magistrate or, in petty cases, release him as soon as possible within a period of twenty-four hours.
Why this exists
This provision continues Section 65 of the old Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. It exists to give police officers practical authority to enforce the arrest-related powers granted elsewhere in the same chapter — for example, directing bystanders during an arrest, controlling a crowd, or securing a scene. Without a backup enforcement mechanism, lawful directions could simply be ignored, defeating the purpose of arrest procedures. At the same time, the law limits this power: the direction must be 'lawful' and tied to a duty under the same chapter, and detention for non-compliance is capped at 24 hours unless the person is produced before a magistrate.
Common misconceptions
- Myth: Police can order people to do anything and everyone must obey no matter what.
Fact: The section only covers 'lawful' directions given while the officer is performing a duty listed in the same chapter (mainly arrest-related duties) — not any order on any topic. - Myth: Once detained under this section, a person can be held indefinitely.
Fact: The law requires the officer to either produce the person before a magistrate or release them within 24 hours in petty cases.