Chapter IV - Powers and Procedure
Section 24A of the Arms Act, 1959: Prohibition on Notified Arms in Disturbed Areas
Section 24A of the Arms Act, 1959 empowers the Central Government to declare an area subject to special arms-control measures where there is extensive disturbance of public peace and tranquillity, or imminent danger of such disturbance, and stronger restrictions are considered necessary to prevent offences involving arms.
- Text of Section 24A
- When can Section 24A be invoked?
- What must the notification specify?
- Mandatory deposit under Section 21
- When possession becomes unlawful
- Search and seizure powers
- 90-day period and extensions
- Current search-and-seizure procedure
- Meaning of "arms" and extended period
- Penalty for contravention
- Official legal sources
Text of Section 24A of the Arms Act, 1959
24A. Prohibition as to possession of notified arms in disturbed areas, etc.
(1) Where the Central Government is satisfied that there is extensive disturbance of public peace and tranquillity or imminent danger of such disturbance in any area and that, for the prevention of offences involving the use of arms in such area, it is necessary or expedient to do so, it may by notification in the Official Gazette-
(a) specify the limits of the area;
(b) direct that, before commencement of the period specified in the notification, every person possessing in that area arms of the description specified in the notification shall deposit them in accordance with section 21. The commencement date cannot be earlier than the fourth day after publication of the notification. For this purpose, possession of the notified arms is deemed to have ceased to be lawful from the date of publication, notwithstanding anything elsewhere in the Act except section 41 or in any other law;
(c) declare that, from commencement and until expiry of the notified period, no person may lawfully possess the notified arms in that area;
(d) authorise an officer subordinate to the Central Government or a State Government, specified in the notification-
(i) to search, during the notified period, a person, premises, animal, vessel, vehicle, other conveyance, receptacle or container in or passing through the area where the officer has reason to believe notified arms are secreted; and
(ii) to seize notified arms found in the possession of a person in the area or discovered through such a search and detain them during the notified period.
(2) The period specified in the first notification for an area shall not exceed ninety days. The Central Government may extend it from time to time, but each extension shall not exceed ninety days, if the required disturbance or imminent danger continues and the Government considers the extension necessary or expedient to prevent offences involving arms.
(3) The statutory text provides that the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 relating to searches and seizures shall, so far as may be, apply to searches or seizures under sub-section (1).
(4) For this section-
(a) "arms" includes ammunition; and
(b) where the original notified period is extended under sub-section (2), references in sub-section (1) to the period specified in the notification mean the period as extended.
Section 24A was inserted by the Arms (Amendment) Act, 1983 with effect from 22 June 1983.
When Can the Central Government Invoke Section 24A?
Section 24A does not apply merely because an area faces ordinary law-and-order concerns. The Central Government must be satisfied that:
- there is extensive disturbance of public peace and tranquillity, or imminent danger of such disturbance;
- the special measure is connected with prevention of offences involving the use of arms; and
- the notification is necessary or expedient for that preventive purpose.
These statutory conditions are the basis for the special notification power. The notification must therefore identify the area and the arms to which the restrictions apply.
What Must a Section 24A Notification Specify?
A notification under Section 24A may specify:
- the geographical limits of the affected area;
- the description of arms treated as "notified arms";
- the commencement and duration of the special prohibition period;
- the requirement to deposit notified arms before commencement of that period; and
- the officers authorised to exercise the special search-and-seizure powers.
The commencement date specified for the prohibition period cannot be earlier than the fourth day after publication of the notification in the Official Gazette.
Mandatory Deposit of Notified Arms under Section 21
Section 24A(1)(b) requires persons possessing notified arms in the affected area to deposit them before commencement of the notified period in accordance with Section 21 of the Arms Act.
Section 21 governs where arms or ammunition may be deposited and the rights that may arise in relation to deposited items, subject to the statutory restrictions and the applicable rules.
Possession Is Deemed to Cease to Be Lawful from Publication
A significant feature of Section 24A is that, for the purpose of the deposit requirement, possession of the notified arms is deemed to have ceased to be lawful from the date on which the notification is published in the Official Gazette.
The section gives this consequence overriding effect notwithstanding other provisions of the Arms Act, except Section 41, and notwithstanding any other law for the time being in force.
Section 41 preserves the Central Government's statutory power to exempt persons or classes of arms or ammunition from provisions of the Act in appropriate cases.
Special Search and Seizure Powers in a Section 24A Area
A notification may authorise a specified officer subordinate to the Central Government or a State Government to conduct searches during the notified period where the officer has reason to believe that notified arms are secreted.
The statutory search power is broad enough to extend to:
- a person in or passing through the area;
- premises in the area;
- an animal;
- a vessel, vehicle or other conveyance;
- a receptacle; and
- another container.
Notified arms found in a person's possession or discovered during such a search may be seized and detained during the period specified in the notification.
Initial Period Is Limited to Ninety Days
Section 24A(2) limits the period specified in the original notification to a maximum of ninety days.
The Central Government may extend the notification from time to time if the statutory conditions continue, but each individual extension may not exceed ninety days.
| Stage | Maximum statutory period |
|---|---|
| Initial notification | Up to 90 days |
| Each extension | Up to 90 days at one time |
Section 24A(3), CrPC Reference and the Current BNSS Framework
The text of Section 24A(3) still refers to the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and provides that its search-and-seizure provisions apply, so far as may be, to searches and seizures under Section 24A.
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 came into force on 1 July 2024 and replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, subject to its repeal-and-saving provisions. Current search-and-seizure procedure should therefore be examined with the BNSS framework in force, including its provisions concerning searches, seizure and electronic recording where applicable.
The statutory quotation above preserves the wording of Section 24A as it appears in the Arms Act rather than silently substituting the name of the later procedural law.
Meaning of "Arms" and Extended Notification Period
Section 24A(4)(a) expressly provides that, for this section, "arms" includes ammunition.
Section 24A(4)(b) clarifies that when the Central Government extends a notification under sub-section (2), references in sub-section (1) to the period specified in the notification are to be read as references to the extended period.
Penalty for Contravention of Section 24A
Section 25(1AAA) provides the specific punishment for possession of arms or ammunition in contravention of a notification issued under Section 24A.
| Provision | Conduct | Punishment |
|---|---|---|
| Section 25(1AAA) | Possession of arms or ammunition in contravention of a Section 24A notification | Imprisonment of not less than 3 years, which may extend to 7 years, and fine |
Important: Section 24A operates only through a Central Government notification. In any specific case, the actual Gazette notification should be checked for the area limits, notified arms, commencement date, duration, authorised officers and any extension before drawing conclusions about possession, deposit, search, seizure or criminal liability.
Official Legal Sources
Related Arms Act Provisions
See also Section 21 on deposit when possession ceases to be lawful, Section 22 on search and seizure by Magistrate, Section 23 on search of vessels and vehicles, Section 24B on carrying notified arms in public places in disturbed areas, Section 25 on punishments, and Section 41 on the power to exempt.
Last reviewed: September 7, 2026.