Detention beyond 24 hours vitiates arrest and remand, entitling the accused to bail.

The petitioner sought bail under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), in connection with Pottangi P.S. Case No. 138 of 2025, corresponding to T.R. Case No. 130 of 2025, pending before the Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge, Koraput.

He was accused of transporting 51 kg 400 grams of ganja in a Ford Fiesta car, allegedly attracting Section 20(b)(ii)(C) of the NDPS Act read with Section 25(1-B)(a) of the Arms Act.

The petitioner contended that he had not been produced before the Magistrate within 24 hours of arrest, excluding only the time necessary for travel from the place of arrest to the Magistrate’s court, in violation of Section 58 of the BNSS and Article 22(2) of the Constitution.

The court below had calculated the detention period as 22 hours and 15 minutes by excluding time spent on medical examination and travel.

1. Whether the petitioner was produced before the Magistrate within the constitutionally prescribed period of 24 hours, after excluding only the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court.

2. Whether non-production within 24 hours rendered the arrest and subsequent remand illegal and entitled the petitioner to bail.

The court applied Section 58 of the BNSS and Article 22(2) of the Constitution, which prohibit detention of an arrested person beyond 24 hours without production before the nearest Magistrate, excluding only the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the Magistrate’s court.

The court held that Article 22(2) does not permit exclusion of time spent transporting the accused for medical examination.

It further applied the principle that violation of this fundamental safeguard renders the arrest illegal and vitiates the consequential remand, leaving bail as the appropriate relief.

The application was considered under Section 483 of the BNSS, which empowers the High Court to grant bail.

The High Court rejected the lower court’s calculation because it had improperly excluded 1 hour and 10 minutes spent on medical examination, in addition to the journey time.

The command certificate showed that the petitioner left the police station at 2:00 p.m. and reached the court at 4:00 p.m.; therefore, the relevant travel time was two hours, rather than the 4 hours and 10 minutes calculated by the lower court.

Including the two-hour journey, the 1 hour and 10 minutes spent on medical examination, and an additional 15 minutes between completion of the examination and departure for court, the total detention was calculated at approximately 25 hours and 40 minutes.

Since the petitioner was not produced within 24 hours, the court found a violation of Article 22(2) and Section 58 of the BNSS, making the arrest and subsequent remand legally unsustainable.

The bail application was accordingly allowed.

The petitioner was directed to be released on bail upon furnishing a bond of ₹1,00,000 with two solvent sureties for the like amount, subject to conditions imposed by the court in seisin of the case.

The BLAPL was disposed of, and a soft copy of the order was directed to be communicated to the trial court and the concerned jail authorities.