Holding

A magistrate’s power under Section 156(3) of the CrPC is limited to directing the officer‑in‑charge of a police station and does not extend to ordering the CBI to conduct an investigation.

Summary

A complaint alleging serious offences was filed before a magistrate who, invoking his power under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate and required a final report. The CBI challenged the order, arguing that a magistrate has no jurisdiction to direct the CBI without the consent of the State Government as mandated by Sections 5 and 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. The Supreme Court examined the scope of Section 156(3) and held that the provision only empowers a magistrate to direct the officer‑in‑charge of a police station, not the CBI, and that the Delhi Act does not confer such power on a magistrate. The Court also noted that higher courts may, in exceptional circumstances, order a CBI investigation, but a magistrate cannot. Consequently, the orders of the magistrates and the High Courts were set aside, and the appeals were disposed, with a specific direction in one case for the CBI to investigate a registered FIR.

Issues considered

Whether a magistrate empowered under Section 190 of the CrPC can order the CBI to investigate a cognizable offence under Section 156(3).
Whether Sections 5 and 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, require State Government consent for a magistrate to direct the CBI.
Whether the term "court" in State of West Bengal v. Sampat Lal includes a magistrate for the purpose of directing the CBI.

Legislation cited

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973s. 155, s. 156, s. 190, s. 202, s. 2(o), s. 2(s), s. 36
Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946s. 5, s. 6

Subjects

Section 156(3) CrPCCBI investigationmagistrate powersDelhi Special Police Establishment Actcognizable offencestate consenthigh court jurisdictioncourt order to CBI

Judgment

A CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION THROUGH S.P. JAIPUR
v.
STATE OF RAJASTHAN AND ANR.

JANUARY 19, 2001

B [K.T. THOMAS AND R.P. SETHI, JJ.]

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.

Section 156(3)-Cognizable cases-Investigation of-Powers of
C Magistrate-Whether Magistrate can order investigation by CBI-Held:
Magistrate has the power only to order an officer-in-charge of a police
station to conduct investigation-Magistrate has no power to order CBI to
conduct investigation under Section 156(3)-Delhi Special Police
Establishment Act, 1946, Sections 5 and 6.

D Words and Phrases:

"Police station" and "Officer-in-charge of a Police station "-Meaning
of-In the context ofSections 2(s) and 2(o) of the Code of Criminal Procedure,
1973. ~

E A complaint was filed before a magistrate alleging serious offences
and he ordered investigation to be conducted by the CBI and on completion
of the investigation final report was required to be filed. The appellant-CBI
challenged the order of the magistrate before the High Court contending
that the magistrate had no jurisdiction to order the CBI to conduct the
F investigation, at least without obtaining the consent of the State Government
concerned as required under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police
Establishment Act, 1946. The High Court held that the magistrate had the
power to do so. Hence this appeal.

Disposing of the appeal, the Court
G
HELD: I. The power to order the investigation referred to in Section
156(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 is contained in Section
156(3) because the words "order such a investigation as above-mentioned"
in sub section (3) are unmistakably clear as referring to the other sub-
H section. Thus the power is to order an "officer-in-charge of a police station"
472
CB.I. THROUGH S.P . .JAIPUR v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 473
to conduct investigation. 1476-A-BI A
2. It is clear that a place or post declared by the Government as police
station under Section 2(s) of the Code must have a police officer-in-charge
of it as defined in Section 2(o) of the Code and if he, for any reason, is absent
in the station house, the officer who is in next junior rank present in the
police station, shall perform the function as Officer-in-charge of that police B
station. The primary resposbility for conducting investigation into offences
in cognizable cases vests with such police officer. Section 1S6(3) of the Code
empowers a megistrate to direct such officer-in-charge of the police station
to investigate any cognizable case over which such magistrate has jurisdiction.
[476-E-GI C
3.1. Sections 5 and 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act,
1946 do not confer power on a magistrate to order the CBI to conduct
investigation in exercise of power under Section 156(3) of the Code. Therefore,
the magisterial power cannot be streched under Section 156(3) of the Code
beyond directing the Officer-in-charge of a police station to conduct the D
investigation. [478-A-B; G-H)
State of West Bengal v. Sampat Lal, 11985) 1SCC317, held inapplicable.

_,,.. 3.2. The powers of the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution
and of the Supereme Court under Article 32 or Article 142(1) of the
Constitution can be invoked, though sparingly, for giving such direction to E
the CBito investigate in certain cases. [478-8-Cj
Kashmeri Devi v. Delhi Administration, (1988) Supp. SCC 482; Maniyeri
Madhavan v. Sub-Inspect ore of Police, [ 1994) 1 SCC 536; Mohammed Anis
,. v. Union of India, 11994) Supp. 1 SCC 145 and State of Kera/av. Moosa
Haji, (1993) 2 KLT 609, reffered to. F
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal No.
1162 of 1998.

From the Judgment and Order dated 09.12.1997 in SBCRL 743/96 of the
High Court of Rajasthan at Jaipur.
G
WITH
C.A. Nos.1163-66/98 and 42/2001
Altaf Ahmed, Additional Solicitor General, Ms. Indira Jaising, T.C.
Sharma, Heman! Sharma, P. Parmeswaran, A.D.N. Rao, Ms. Sumita Inna, Sushil
Kumar Jain, A.P. Dhamija, lndeevar Goodwill (N.P), Ms. Manjula Gupta, H
474 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2001] l S.C.R.

A Ms. Sanjay Ghosh; Ms. Anuja, Rohit Minocha, B.D. Sharma, Ajay Chaudhary,
Sanjay Bansal and G.K. Bansal for the appearing parties.

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

THOMAS, J. Has a magistrate power to direct the Central Bureau of
B Investigation to conduct investigation into any o:fence? This question,
seemingly ingenuous, has become compounded with divergent verdicts
pronounced by different High Courts. When the High Courts of Rajasthan
and Delhi answered the question in the affirmative, the High Courts of Gujarat
and Karnataka have answered it in the negative. These appeals are filed at
C the instance of the Central Bureau of Investigation (for short 'CBI') in challenge
of the judgments of the High Courts of Rajasthan and Delhi by which the
orders passed by certain magistrates were upheld.

It is not necessary to narrate the facts in each case.The common feature
in all the appeals is, when a complaint was filed before a magistrate alleging
D serious offences, he ordered investigation to be conducted by the CBI and
on completion of the investigation final report was required to be filed. We
may now mention what happened thereafter to one of the cases before us.
The CBI challenged the order of the magistrate before the High Court of Delhi
contending that the magistrate has no jurisdiction to order the CBI to conduct
the investigation, at least without obtaining consent of the State Government
E concerned as required under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment
Act, 1946, ('Delhi Act' for short). The CBI sought support for the said
contention from some of the earlier decisions rendered by single judges of
the Delhi High Court. When the matter was placed before a Division Bench
of the Delhi High Court, a contrary view was taken and the Bench held that
the magistrate has the power to do so. The Division Bench of the Delhi High
F
Court, in reaching the said view, has mainly relied on the observations made
by this Court in State of West Bengal & Ors. v. Sampat Lal & Ors., [1985]
1 SCC 317. Learned Judges highlighted the following observation contained
in Sampatlal:

G "In our considered opinion, Section 6 of the Delhi Act does not apply
when the Court gives a direction to the CBI to conduct an investigation
and counsel for the parties rightly did not dispute this position. In
this view, the impugned order of the learned Single Judge and the
appellate decision of the Division Bench appointing DIG of CBI to
inquire into the matter would not be open to attack for want of
H sanction under Section 6 of the Delhi Act."
CB.I. THROUGH S.P. JAIPUR v. STATE OF RA.IASTHAN [THOMAS, J] 475

Learned Judges gave emphasis to the words "when the court gives a A
direction to the CBI to conduct an investigation". The Division Bench of the
High Court took it for granted that what this Court meant by the word "court"
as used in the said observation in Sampat Lal should be understood as any
court. The Division Bench declined to accept the view of the Karnataka High
Court (in one of the decisions) that what the Supreme Court meant in Sampat B
Lal' s case is the High Court and not any court.

It is unnecessary for us to resolve the controversy fomented up with
the expression "court" in Sampat Lal because the question whether a magistrate
has the power to direct the CBI to conduct the investigation was not the issue
involved iri Sampat Lal at a!L The fact situation in Sampat Lal was centered C
on the direction issued by the High Court. That apart, it is not advisable to
read mf<lre than what is contained in a judgment.

For deciding the present question we may refer to the powers of the
magistrate in ordering investigation. There are three provisions in the Code
of Criminal Procedure {for short "the Code") by which a magistrate can order D
investigation to be conducted. They are Sections 155, 156 and 202 of the
Code. Among them Section 155 concerns only with the investigation into
non-cognizable offences whereas Section 202 only enables a magistrate to
.t- have the assistance of an investigation conducted either by the police or by
any other person, for the limited purpose of deciding whether or not there is
sufficient ground for proceeding with the complaint. Hence we need not vex E
our mind with those two provisions. It is Section 156 of the Code which is
relevant for the present purpose as it deals with investigation into cognizable
offences. The section reads thus:

"156. Police officer's power to investigate cognizable cases.- (I) Any
officer in charge of a police station may, without the order of a F
Magistrate, investigate any cognizable case which a Court having
jurisdiction over the local area within the limits of such station would
have power to inquire into or try under the provisions of Chapter XIII.

(2) No proceeding of a police officer in any such case shall at any
stage be called in question on the ground that the case was one which G
such officer was not empowered under this s.to investigate ..

(3) Any Magistrate empowered under s.190 may order such an
investigation as above-mentioned."

If the power of a magistrate to order investigation by the CBI in non- H
)

476 SUPPEME COURT REPORTS [200 I] I S.C.R.

A cognizable cases cannot be traced in the above provision, it is not possible
to trace such power in any other provision of the Code. What is contained
in sub-section (3) of Section 156, is the power to order the investigation
referred to in sub-section (I), because the words "order such an investigation
as above-mentioned" in sub-section (3) are unmistakably clear as referring to
B the other sub-section. Thus the power is to order an "officer in charge of a
police station·' to conduct investigation.

The two expressions "police station" and "officer in charge of a police
station" have been given separate definitions in the Code. Section 2( o) of the
Code defines "officer in charge of a police station" as under:
c "Officer in charge of a police station' includes, when the officer in
charge of the police station is absent from the station-house or unable
from i!lness or other cause to perform his duties, the police officer
present at the station-house who is next in rank to such officer and
is above the rank of constable or, when the State Government so
D directs, any other police officer so present."

Section 2(s) defines a "police station" as under:

"'Police station' means any post or place declared generally or specially
by the State Government, to be a police station, and includes any
local area specified by the State Government in this behalf."
E
It is clear that a place or post declared by the Government as police
station, must have a police officer in charge of it and if he, for any reason,
is absent in the station-house, the officer who is in next junior rank present
in the police station, shall perform the function as officer in charge of that
F police station. The primary responsibility for conducting investigation into
offences in cognizable cases vests with such police officer. Section 156(3) of
the Code empowers a magistrate to direct such officer in charge of the police
station to investigate any cognizable case over which such magistrate has
jurisdiction.

G In this context a reference has to be made to Section 36 of the Code
which says that "police officers superior in rank to an officer in charge of a
police station may exercise the same powers. throughout the local area to
which they are appointed, as may be exercised by such officer within the
limits of his station."

H This means any other police officer, who is superior in rank to an officer
C.B.I. THROUGH SP JAIPUR v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN [THOMAS, Jl 477

..... in charge of a police station, can exercise the same powers of the officer in A
charge of a police station and when he so exercises the power he would do
it in his capacity as officer in charge of the police station. But when a
magistrate orders investigation under Section 156(3), he can only direct an
officer in charge of a police station to conduct such investigation and not a
superior police officer, though such officer can exercise such powers by virtue
of Section 36 of the Code. Nonetheless when such an order is passed, any
B
police officer, superior in rank of such officer, can as well exercise the power
* to conduct investigation, and all such investigations would then be deemed
to be the investigation conducted by the officer in charge of a police station.
Section 36 of the ~ode is not meant to substitute the magisterial power
envisaged in Section 156(3) of the Code, though it could supplement the c
powers of an officer in charge of a police station. It is permissible for any
superior officer of police to take over the investigation from such officer in
"I
charge of the police station either suo motu or on the direction of the superior
officer or even that of the government.

In a decision rendered by the Kerala High Court the complaint was D
forwarded by a magistrate to the Inspector General of Police (Crimes) for
investigation under Section 156(3) of the Code. When the State challenged
,._ the said order of the magistrate the High Court held that a magistrate cannot
order any police officer, other than one who is in charge of a police station
to conduct the investigation, though the Government in exercise of their E
executive powers can authorise any superior police Qfficer to investigate a
case and such direction can be issued by the higher officer to his subordinate
officer in the police department. Tiie said decision is reported in State of

... Kera/av. Moosa Haji, (1993) 2 K.L.T. 609 and also in 1994 Criminal Law
Journal 1288}. A two Judge Bench of this Court (G.N. Ray and G.B. Pattanaik,
JJ) has affirmed the said decision of the Kerala High Court as per order dated F
8.4.1997 in Criminal Appeal No.410 of 1994. The principle involved in the said
case would as well be applicable when the magistrate is approached to direct
the CBI for conducting the investigation.
~
1
Section 5 of the Delhi Act enables. the Central Government to extend the
' G
~ powers and jurisdiction of members of the Delhi Police Establishment to any
area in a State. Section 6 of the Delhi Act says that "nothing contained in
Section 5 shall be deemed to enable any member of the Delhi Special Police
Establishment to exercise powers and jurisdiction in any area in a State, not
being a Union Territory or railway area, without the consent of the Government
of that State". A contention was made before'us that when the State Government H
478 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2001) I S.C.R.

A gives consent for the CBI to inve'stigate any offence within the area of the
State it would be perrnissi.ble for the magistrate to direct the officer of the CBI
to conduct such investigation. What is envisaged in Sections 5 & 6 of the
Delhi Act is not one of conferring power on a magistrate to order the CBI to
conduct investigation in exercise of Section 156(3) of the Code.

B True, powers of the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution
and of the Supreme Court under Article 32 or Article 142(1) of the Constitution
can be invoked, though sparingly, f<'r giving such direction to the CBI to
investigate in certain cases, [vide Kashmeri Devi v. Delhi Administration and
anr., (1988] (Suppl.) SCC 482 and ManiJ•eri Madhavan v. Sub-Inspector of
C Police and Ors., (1994] l SCC 536]. A two Judge Bench of this Court has by
an order dated I0.3.1989, referred the question whether the High Court can
order the CBI to investigate a cognizable offence committed within a State
without the consent of that State Government or without any notification or
order having been issued in that behalf under Section 6 of the Delhi Act.

0 In Mohammed Anis v. Union of India and Ors., (1994] Supple. I SCC
145 Ahmadi, J. (as his Lordship then was) has observed thus:

"True it is, that a Division Bench of this Court made an order on
March I 0, 1989 referring the question whether a court can order the '*
CBI, an establishment under the Delhi Special Police Establishment
E Act, to investigate a cognizable offence committed within a State
without the consent of that State Government or without any
notification or order having been issued in that behalf. In our view,
merely because the issue is referred to a larger Bench everything does
not grind to a halt. The reference to the expression 'court' in that
order cannot in the context mean the Apex Court for the reason that
F the Apex Court has been conferred extraordinary powers by Article
142( 1) of the Constitution so that it can do complete justice in any
cause or matter pending before it."

As the present discussion is restricted to the question whether a
G magistrate can direct the CBI to conduct investigation in exercise of his •
powers under Section 156(3) of the Code it is unnecessary for us to travel '"
beyond the scope of that issue. We, therefore, reiterate that the magisterial
power cannot be stretched under the said sub-section beyond directing the
officer in charge of a police station to conduct the investigation.

H Thr ~rreals arc accordingly allowed and the impugned orders of the
CB.I. THROUGH S.P. JAIPUR v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN [THOMAS, J.] 479

magistrates as well as the judgments of the High Court are hereby set aside. A
But this would not prejudice any investigation to be conducted on the FIR
registered or to be registered by the police station concemed in respect of
the complaints involved in these appeals.

In Crimina1 Appeal No. 1165 of 1998, when special leave was granted
the orders of the magistrate directing the CBI to conduct investigation were B
stayed. However, this Court permitted the complainant in the case, to move
the magistrate again for appropriate order for investigation of the offences.
Pursuant thereto a direction was given by the magistrate concerned to the
officer in charge of Hari Nagar Police Station, New Delhi, and on the strength
of the said direction FIR No. 32/99 was registered. We considered the facts C
alleged in the said case and we deem it that it requires to be investigated by
a specialised agency, like the CBI. Hence we order the CBI to take up
investigation in FIR No. 32/99 of Hari Nagar Police Station.

These appeals are disposed o( accordingly.
D
v.s.s. Appeals disposed.