सं Samvidhan

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023

Section 503

Procedure by police upon seizure of property

Why this exists

Not every piece of seized property ends up as courtroom evidence -- sometimes it's simply recovered stolen goods with no ongoing prosecution attached. This provision gives Magistrates a straightforward process to return such property to its owner or, if the owner is unclear, to publicly invite claims before deciding what to do next. It corresponds to section 457 of the earlier CrPC.