Supreme Court Rules 24-Hour Detention Deadline Starts at Detention
The Supreme Court ruled that the 24-hour deadline for producing a detained person before a magistrate begins from the moment of detention, not formal arrest. The ruling, delivered by Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S Chandurkar, clarifies that authorities cannot exclude pre-arrest detention time from this calculation. The court stated that any detention beyond 24 hours without judicial oversight violates Article 22(2) of the Constitution. It emphasized the need for magistrates to record the exact time of detention and assess the reasonableness of the duration. The decision came during the hearing of appeals from four individuals detained on September 29, 2025, who were not produced before a magistrate until 11 am the following day, resulting in their immediate release.
Published 2 days ago • 05 Nov 2026, 12:06 PM IST