SECTION 144

Subject : Governance

Context : To thwart attempts by the Opposition parties and farmers’ outfits to enforce the Bharat Bandh in Gujarat, the government is set to impose Section 144 of the Cr.P.C.

Concept :

• Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) is frequently used to prohibit assemblies of four or more individuals, or to order mobile phone companies to block voice, SMS, or Internet communications in one or more geographical areas.
• It empowers a district magistrate, a sub-divisional magistrate or any other executive magistrate specially empowered by the state government in this behalf to issue orders to prevent and address urgent cases of apprehended danger or nuisance.
• The orders may be directed against a particular individual, or to persons residing in a particular place or area, or to the public generally when frequenting or visiting a particular place or area.
• No order passed under Section 144 can remain in force for more than two months from the date of the order.
• The state government can extend this, but not more than six months.