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Section 102 BNSS 2023: Direction, etc., of Search Warrants

Updated: 10 September 2026

Section 102 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 ("BNSS") is a procedural provision governing the direction and execution of specified search warrants. It makes selected rules applicable to search warrants issued under Sections 96, 97, 98 and 100 of the BNSS.

Text of Section 102 BNSS

102. Direction, etc., of search-warrants.

The provisions of sections 32, 72, 74, 76, 79, 80 and 81 shall, so far as may be, apply to all search-warrants issued under section 96, section 97, section 98 or section 100.

Meaning and Scope of Section 102

Section 102 does not itself create a separate power to issue a search warrant. Instead, it connects search warrants issued under specified provisions of Chapter VII with procedural rules that otherwise deal with the execution and direction of warrants. The words "so far as may be" indicate that those rules apply to a search warrant to the extent that they are relevant and capable of application.

In practical terms, once a search warrant is issued under Section 96, 97, 98 or 100, the applicable rules concerning persons executing warrants, the direction of warrants, territorial execution and execution outside jurisdiction are attracted through Section 102.

Sections Applied to Search Warrants by Section 102

BNSS Section Provision Relevance under Section 102
Section 32 Aid to person, other than police officer, executing warrant Extends the statutory rule concerning assistance to a person who is lawfully executing a warrant.
Section 72 Form of warrant of arrest and duration Applies relevant warrant-form and continuing-validity principles, so far as they can operate in relation to a search warrant.
Section 74 Warrants to whom directed Supplies rules concerning the authority or person to whom a warrant may be directed.
Section 76 Warrant directed to police officer Applies the relevant rules where execution is entrusted to a police officer.
Section 79 Where warrant may be executed Provides the territorial rule relevant to execution of the warrant.
Section 80 Warrant forwarded for execution outside jurisdiction Governs the procedure, where applicable, when execution is required outside the issuing Court's local jurisdiction.
Section 81 Warrant directed to police officer for execution outside jurisdiction Provides the corresponding procedure where a police officer is to execute the warrant outside jurisdiction.

Search Warrants Covered by Section 102

Key legal effect

Section 102 is therefore a linking provision. It standardises important aspects of warrant execution for the four categories of search warrants specifically named in the section, without requiring each search-warrant provision to repeat those procedural rules.

Chapter VII Context

Section 102 appears in Chapter VII of the BNSS, which deals with processes to compel the production of things. Within that framework, Sections 96 to 102 deal with search warrants, while the following provisions contain general and related rules governing searches, seizure and production.

Commencement of the BNSS

The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 is Act No. 46 of 2023. It received Presidential assent on 25 December 2023. The Central Government appointed 1 July 2024 as the date on which the Sanhita came into force, subject to the exception stated in the commencement notification.

Related BNSS Sections

Official legal resources: India Code - Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 | Ministry of Home Affairs - New Criminal Laws. Readers should verify the current text, notifications and applicable judicial decisions from official sources before relying on this material in a legal proceeding.