Section 144 Of The Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) Of 1973

Section 144 Of The Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) Of 1973:

Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) of 1973 has been imposed in Gurugram, owing to the rising number of Covid-19 cases.

• Section 144 has often been used to clamp down on telecommunication services and order Internet shutdowns.

About Section 144 CrPC:

• This law empowers the magistrate of any state or union territory in India to pass an order prohibiting the gathering of four or more people in a specified area.
• It is imposed in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger of some event that has the potential to cause trouble or damage to human life or property.
• This order can be passed against a particular individual or general public.

Features of Section 144:

• It places restrictions on handling or transporting any kind of weapon in the given jurisdiction. The maximum punishment for such an act is three years.
• According to the order under this section, there shall be no movement of the public and all educational institutions shall also remain closed.
• Further, there will be a complete bar on holding any kind of public meetings or rallies during the period of operation of this order.
• It is deemed a punishable offense to obstruct law enforcement agencies from disbanding an unlawful assembly.
• It also empowers the authorities to block internet access in the region.
• The ultimate purpose of Section 144 is to maintain peace and order in the areas where trouble could erupt to disrupt regular life.
• No order under this section can remain in force for a period of more than 2 months.
• Under the state government’s discretion, it can choose to extend the validity for two more months with the maximum validity extendable to six months.
• Once the situation becomes normal, Section 144 levied can be withdrawn.
• Section 144 prohibits the gathering of four or more people in the concerned area, while during curfew people are instructed to stay indoors for a particular period of time. The government puts a complete restriction on traffic as well.