Protection against prosecution for acts done under sections 148, 149 and 150
Full Text
(1) No prosecution against any person for any act purporting to be done under section 148, section 149 or section 150 shall be instituted in any Criminal Court except: (a) with the sanction of the Central Government where such person is an officer or member of the armed forces; (b) with the sanction of the State Government in any other case.
(2) (a) No Executive Magistrate or police officer acting under any of the said sections in good faith; (b) no person doing any act in good faith in compliance with a requisition under section 148 or section 149; (c) no officer of the armed forces acting under section 150 in good faith; (d) no member of the armed forces doing any act in obedience to any order which he was bound to obey, shall be deemed to have thereby committed an offence.
(3) In this section and in the preceding sections of this Chapter,— (a) the expression “armed forces” means the army, naval and air forces, operating as land forces and includes any other armed forces of the Union so operating; (b) “officer”, in relation to the armed forces, means a person commissioned, gazetted or in pay as an officer of the armed forces and includes a junior commissioned officer, a warrant officer, a petty officer, a non-commissioned officer and a non-gazetted officer; (c) “member”, in relation to the armed forces, means a person in the armed forces other than an officer.
Plain English Summary
Section 151 provides immunity from prosecution for officials and citizens acting in good faith under Sections 148-150. Prosecution requires prior government sanction.
Key Legal Elements
- Requirement of prior government sanction before instituting prosecution
- Legal immunity for acts done in good faith by Magistrates, police, and citizens
- Protection for armed forces personnel acting in obedience to lawful orders
- Broad definitions for officer and member of the armed forces
- Inclusion of all Union armed forces under the protection umbrella
Practical Note
This section protects public servants and citizens assisting them from criminal liability during crowd control operations, ensuring they can perform their duties without fear of harassment.
हिंदी पाठ
(1) धारा 148, 149 या 150 के तहत किए गए किसी भी कार्य के लिए किसी भी व्यक्ति के खिलाफ किसी भी आपराधिक अदालत में मुकदमा तब तक नहीं चलाया जाएगा जब तक कि: (क) सशस्त्र बलों के मामले में केंद्र सरकार की मंजूरी न मिल जाए; (ख) किसी अन्य मामले में राज्य सरकार की मंजूरी न मिल जाए।
(2) कोई भी कार्यकारी मजिस्ट्रेट या पुलिस अधिकारी जो सद्भाव (good faith) में कार्य कर रहा है, या कोई व्यक्ति जो सहायता के अनुरोध का सद्भाव में पालन कर रहा है, या सशस्त्र बलों का कोई अधिकारी/सदस्य जो सद्भाव में या आदेश के पालन में कार्य कर रहा है, उसके बारे में यह नहीं माना जाएगा कि उसने कोई अपराध किया है।
(3) परिभाषाएँ: (क) "सशस्त्र बल" का अर्थ है थल सेना, नौसेना और वायु सेना; (ख) "अधिकारी" में कमीशन प्राप्त, राजपत्रित, JCO आदि शामिल हैं; (ग) "सदस्य" का अर्थ है अधिकारी के अलावा अन्य व्यक्ति।