1. Heard Sri Anil Kumar, learned counsel for the petitioners and Sri S.P. Singh, learned Additional Government Advocate appearing on behalf of the State-respondents.

2. This petition has been filed seeking a writ of certiorari for quashing the FIR dated 29.09.2021 and staying the arrest of the petitioner in Case Crime No. 609 of 2021, under Sections 498A, 323, 504, 506 IPC, and Section 3/4 D.P. Act, Police Station Thakurganj, District West Lucknow.

3. We have gone through the First Information Report. The allegations made therein prima facie disclose commission of a cognizable offence and as such, the same cannot be quashed. The writ petition lacks merit and is liable to be dismissed. At this stage, learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that the offence allegedly committed entails a fine and a maximum imprisonment of seven years. As such, he prays that instead of arresting the petitioner in a routine manner, the investigating officer be directed to take recourse to the procedure provided under Section 41-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 (“Code”).

4. Section 41 of the Code deals with the power of the police officer investigating the commission of a cognizable offence, to arrest a person without an order from the Magistrate and without a warrant. Section 41 of the Code as it stands now reads as under:

“41. When police may arrest without warrant.?(1) Any police officer may without an order from a Magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person?

(a) who commits, in the presence of a police officer, a cognizable offence;

(b) against whom a reasonable complaint has been made, or credible information has been received, or a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed a cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may be less than seven years or which may extend to seven years whether with or without fine, if the following conditions are satisfied, namely : ?

(i) the police officer has reason to believe on the basis of such complaint, information, or suspicion that such person has committed the said offence;

(ii) the police officer is satisfied that such arrest is necessary?

(a) to prevent such person from committing any further offence; or

(b) for proper investigation of the offence; or

(c) to prevent such person from causing the evidence of the offence to disappear or tampering with such evidence in any manner; or

(d) to prevent such person from making any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the Court or to the police officer; or

(e) as unless such person is arrested, his presence in the Court whenever required cannot be ensured, and the police officer shall record while making such arrest, his reasons in writing:

Provided that a police officer shall, in all cases where the arrest of a person is not required under the provisions of this sub-section, record the reasons in writing for not making the arrest.

(ba) against whom credible information has been received that he has committed a cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to more than seven years whether with or without fine or with death sentence and the police officer has reason to believe on the basis of that information that such person has committed the said offence;

(c) who has been proclaimed as an offender either under this Code or by order of the State Government; or

(d) in whose possession anything is found which may reasonably be suspected to be stolen property and who may reasonably be suspected of having committed an offence with reference to such thing; or

(e) who obstructs a police officer while in the execution of his duty, or who has escaped, or attempts to escape, from lawful custody; or

(f) who is reasonably suspected of being a deserter from any of the Armed Forces of the Union; or

(g) who has been concerned in, or against whom a reasonable complaint has been made, or credible information has been received, or a reasonable suspicion exists, of his having been concerned in, any act committed at any place out of India which, if committed in India, would have been punishable as an offence, and for which he is, under any law relating to extradition, or otherwise, liable to be apprehended or detained in custody in India; or

(h) who, being a released convict, commits a breach of any rule made under sub-section (5) of section 356; or

(i) for whose arrest any requisition, whether written or oral, has been received from another police officer, provided that the requisition specifies the person to be arrested and the offence or other cause for which the arrest is to be made and it appears therefrom that the person might lawfully be arrested without a warrant by the officer who issued the requisition.

(2) Subject to the provisions of section 42, no person concerned in a non-cognizable offence or against whom a complaint has been made or credible information has been received or reasonable suspicion exists of his having so concerned, shall be arrested except under a warrant or order of a Magistrate.”

Section 41-A of the Code inserted vide Act 5 of 2009 w.e.f. 1-11-2010, reads as follows:

“41-A. Notice of appearance before police officer.?(1) The police officer shall, in all cases where the arrest of a person is not required under the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 41, issue a notice directing the person against whom a reasonable complaint has been made, or credible information has been received, or a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed a cognizable offence, to appear before him or at such other place as may be specified in the notice.

(2) Where such a notice is issued to any person, it shall be the duty of that person to comply with the terms of the notice.

(3) Where such person complies and continues to comply with the notice, he shall not be arrested in respect of the offence referred to in the notice unless, for reasons to be recorded, the police officer is of the opinion that he ought to be arrested.

(4) Where such person, at any time, fails to comply with the terms of the notice or is unwilling to identify himself, the police officer may, subject to such orders as may have been passed by a competent Court in this behalf, arrest him for the offence mentioned in the notice.”

5. A perusal of Section 41 shows that there is no absolute bar against arresting a person accused of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may be less than seven years or which may extend up to seven years with or without fine. Section 41(1)(a), however, provides that an investigating officer shall not arrest a person accused of such offences in a routine manner and the arrest be made, only after following the restrictions imposed under Section 41(1)(b).

6. In Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar, (2014) 8 SCC 273, the Apex Court, while dealing with the power of the police to arrest a person under Section 41 of the Code, has held that the said power is to be exercised only after the conditions enumerated in the said Section are satisfied.

7. Paragraphs 7.1 and 7.2 of the said report being relevant are extracted below:

“7.1. From a plain reading of the aforesaid provision, it is evident that a person accused of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may be less than seven years or which may extend to seven years with or without fine, cannot be arrested by the police officer only on his satisfaction that such person had committed the offence punishable as aforesaid. A police officer before arrest, in such cases has to be further satisfied that such arrest is necessary to prevent such person from committing any further offence; or for proper investigation of thecase; or to prevent the accused from causing the evidence of the offence to disappear; or tampering with such evidence in any manner; or to prevent such person from making any inducement, threat or promise to a witness so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the court or the police officer; or unless such accused person is arrested, his presence in the court whenever required cannot be ensured. These are the conclusions, which one may reach based on facts.

7.2. The law mandates the police officer to state the facts and record the reasons in writing which led him to come to a conclusion covered by any of the provisions aforesaid, while making such arrest. The law further requires the police officers to record the reasons in writing for not making the arrest.

7.3. In pith and core, the police officer before arrest must put a question to himself, why arrest? Is it really required? What purpose it will serve? What object it will achieve? It is only after these questions are addressed and one or the other conditions as enumerated above is satisfied, the power of arrest needs to be exercised. In fine, before arrest first the police officers should have reason to believe on the basis of information and material that the accused has committed the offence. Apart from this, the police officer has to be satisfied further that the arrest is necessary for one or the more purposes envisaged by sub-clauses (a) to (e) of clause (1) of Section 41 CrPC.”

(emphasis supplied)

8. Thus, it is mandatory on the part of the investigating officer to record reasons for making an arrest as well as for not making an arrest in respect of a cognizable offence for which the maximum sentence is up to seven years.

9. Where, however, arrest is not required to be made under Sub-Clause (1) of the amended Section 41 of the Code, the police is bound to issue a notice of appearance to the accused person. Even in such a case, failure to comply with the notice of appearance or unwillingness to identify himself may be grounds for the police to arrest a person to whom a notice under Section 41-A of the Code has been issued.

10. Learned Additional Government Advocate, on the basis of instructions, states that the provisions of Section 41 and 41-A of the Code would be scrupulously complied with by the investigating officer.

11. The statutory protection under Section 41 and 41-A of the Code is already available, which the police authorities are bound to comply in this case also.

12. With the aforesaid observation, the Writ Petition stands disposed of.