Night Arrest of Women: BNSS Section 43 Rights in India

Can the police arrest a woman at night in India? As a rule, no. Under Section 43(5) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, a woman shall not be arrested after sunset and before sunrise. The police may do so only in exceptional circumstances, and even then a woman police officer must first get a written permission from the Magistrate. This guide explains the rule, the related arrest safeguards for women, and exactly what to do if any of them are broken.

In short: The BNSS, in force since 1 July 2024, keeps the old protection that a woman is not arrested at night. The arrest is usually carried out by a woman police officer, the police should not touch a woman for arrest unless the officer is female, and a night arrest needs prior written permission from a First Class Magistrate.

1. No arrest at night, as a rule. Section 43(5) BNSS bars arresting a woman after sunset and before sunrise, except in exceptional circumstances.
2. Magistrate permission for a night arrest. Where exceptional circumstances exist, a woman police officer must obtain prior written permission of the First Class Magistrate before the arrest.
3. A woman is not to be physically touched for arrest unless the arresting officer is a female, or the circumstances otherwise require. Her submission to custody on oral intimation of arrest is presumed (Section 43(1) BNSS).
4. Right to know the grounds of arrest and, in a bailable offence, the right to be told she can be released on bail (Section 47 BNSS).
5. Right to inform a relative or friend about the arrest and the place of detention (Section 48 BNSS).
6. Medical examination of a woman arrestee must be done by, or under the supervision of, a female medical officer or registered medical practitioner (Section 53 BNSS).
7. Production before a Magistrate within 24 hours, excluding journey time. Detention beyond 24 hours without such production is illegal (Section 58 BNSS).

1. Ask for the grounds. Ask the officer to state the offence and reason for arrest. Section 47 BNSS requires this, and the Supreme Court has held grounds must be conveyed clearly.
2. Check the time and the officer. If it is after sunset or before sunrise, point out Section 43(5) and ask whether a woman officer has the Magistrate's written permission. Note the time and whether any woman officer is present.
3. Do not resist; insist on dignity. A woman cannot be physically touched for arrest unless the officer is female. Ask calmly for a woman officer to be present.
4. Inform a relative, friend or lawyer at once. Section 48 lets a nominated person be told about the arrest and where she is held. Note that name and the time.
5. Request a female medical officer if there is any injury or allegation of force, and ask for a copy of the report (Section 53 BNSS).
6. Record everything: names, badge numbers, police station, time of arrest, witnesses, and whether the 24-hour production rule (Section 58) is met.

Section 43(5) BNSS reads that, save in exceptional circumstances, no woman shall be arrested after sunset and before sunrise, and where such exceptional circumstances exist, the woman police officer shall, by making a written report, obtain the prior permission of the Magistrate of the first class within whose local jurisdiction the offence is committed or the arrest is to be made. This carries forward the old protection that stood in Section 46(4) of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973.

Section 43(1) BNSS says that to make an arrest the officer shall actually touch or confine the body of the person, unless there is submission to custody by word or action. For a woman, her submission to custody on an oral intimation of arrest is presumed, and unless the circumstances otherwise require or the officer is a female, the officer shall not touch the person of the woman.

This is often misunderstood. In Deepa v. S. Vijayalakshmi, the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench, February 2025), a bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and M. Jothiraman held that the bar on arresting women at night under Section 46(4) CrPC and Section 43(5) BNSS is directory and not mandatory, because the law does not spell out a consequence for non-compliance. In plain terms, a night arrest made without the Magistrate's permission is not automatically void, but the arresting officer must give a valid explanation for the deviation, and the court directed police to frame guidelines on what counts as exceptional circumstances. This is the view of one High Court, so a breach is a strong ground to challenge the arrest, even if it does not by itself cancel it.

1. Night arrest without Magistrate permission. Raise it before the Magistrate at the first production, and in your bail application. Place on record that Section 43(5) was not followed and ask the court to scrutinise the arrest.
2. No woman officer, or a woman touched by a male officer. This breaches Section 43(1). Complain in writing to the Superintendent of Police and the State or National Commission for Women, and raise it before the Magistrate.
3. Grounds of arrest not given. Failure under Section 47 can render the arrest and remand vulnerable. The Supreme Court has stressed that grounds must be communicated; raise it at remand and seek release.
4. Detention beyond 24 hours. This is illegal under Section 58 and Article 22 of the Constitution. The remedy is a habeas corpus writ petition under Article 226 before the High Court, or Article 32 before the Supreme Court, to produce the detained person.
5. How to complain. File a written complaint with the SP or Police Commissioner, the State Human Rights Commission, and the State or National Commission for Women. You can also use the AI RTI Drafter to seek arrest records, the arrest memo, and the case diary entries.

If arrest is feared in advance, read our guide to anticipatory bail under BNSS. If the police did not produce the charge sheet in time, see default bail under BNSS 479. To report a cognizable offence at any police station, see the zero FIR procedure.

Kashvi Pathak, a college teacher in Indore, was picked up at about 9 pm on 12 March 2025 in a property dispute, with no woman officer present and no Magistrate permission shown. Her brother noted the time, names and station, and informed the family lawyer under Section 48 BNSS. At the next morning's production, the lawyer placed on record that Section 43(5) had not been followed and that a male officer had taken her into custody in breach of Section 43(1). The Magistrate noted the objections, granted bail, and the family complained in writing to the Superintendent of Police and the State Commission for Women. The lesson: record the time, insist on a woman officer, and raise the breach at the first hearing, even though, per the Madras High Court view, that breach did not by itself void the arrest.

As a rule, no. Section 43(5) BNSS bars arrest of a woman after sunset and before sunrise. It is allowed only in exceptional circumstances, and a woman police officer must first obtain written permission from a First Class Magistrate.

A woman should normally be arrested by a female officer. Under Section 43(1) BNSS, the police shall not touch a woman for arrest unless the officer is a female or the circumstances otherwise require, and her submission to custody on oral intimation is presumed.

Not automatically. In Deepa v. S. Vijayalakshmi, the Madras High Court held the rule is directory, not mandatory, so a breach does not by itself void the arrest. But the officer must justify the deviation, and the breach is a strong ground to challenge the arrest and complain.

Within 24 hours of the arrest, excluding the time needed for the journey to court, under Section 58 BNSS and Article 22 of the Constitution. Detention beyond this without production is illegal.

Raise the breach before the Magistrate at first production and in the bail plea, complain in writing to the Superintendent of Police and the State or National Commission for Women, and, for illegal detention, file a habeas corpus writ before the High Court under Article 226.

Under Section 53 BNSS, a woman arrestee is examined only by, or under the supervision of, a female medical officer or registered medical practitioner, and she is entitled to a copy of the report.

For the full citizen toolkit on using transparency law to obtain records and hold authorities accountable, see The RTI Playbook.

1. Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Sections 43, 47, 48, 53 and 58, India Code, indiacode.nic.in.
2. Section 43 BNSS, Arrest how made, bare act text, apnilaw.com.
3. Section 47 BNSS (grounds of arrest and bail) and Section 58 BNSS (production within 24 hours), latestlaws.com.
4. Deepa v. S. Vijayalakshmi, Madras High Court (Madurai Bench), February 2025, on Section 46(4) CrPC and Section 43(5) BNSS being directory, LiveLaw and Verdictum.
5. Supreme Court on communication of grounds of arrest, Supreme Court Observer.