Skip to content
Thursday, 12 November 2026 Judgments, law jobs and study notes, written by a practising advocate
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XI: Maintenance Of Public Order And Tranquillity

Section 148 BNSS: Dispersal of assembly by use of civil force

Corresponding CrPC
Section 129 CrPC

Bare Act text

(1) Any Executive Magistrate or officer in charge of a police station or, in the absence of such officer in charge, any police officer, not below the rank of a sub-inspector, may command any unlawful assembly, or any assembly of five or more persons likely to cause a disturbance of the public peace, to disperse; and it shall thereupon be the duty of the members of such assembly to disperse accordingly.

(2) If, upon being so commanded, any such assembly does not disperse, or if, without being so commanded, it conducts itself in such a manner as to show a determination not to disperse, any Executive Magistrate or police officer referred to in sub-section (1), may proceed to disperse such assembly by force, and may require the assistance of any person, not being an officer or member of the armed forces and acting as such, for the purpose of dispersing such assembly, and, if necessary, arresting and confining the persons who form part of it, in order to disperse such assembly or that they may be punished according to law.

Text as enacted in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act No. 46 of 2023), in force from 1 July 2024. Source: India Code, Government of India.

In simple words

Allows an Executive Magistrate, officer in charge of a police station or, in his absence, a police officer not below the rank of sub-inspector to command an unlawful assembly, or an assembly of five or more persons likely to disturb the public peace, to disperse. If it does not disperse, the section provides for dispersal by force.

Chapter XI: Maintenance Of Public Order And Tranquillity

  1. 148 Dispersal of assembly by use of civil force
  2. 149 Use of armed forces to disperse assembly
  3. 150 Power of certain armed force officers to disperse assembly
  4. 151 Protection against prosecution for acts done under sections 148, 149 and 150
  5. 152 Conditional order for removal of nuisance
  6. 153 Service or notification of order
  7. 154 Person to whom order is addressed to obey or show cause
  8. 155 Penalty for failure to comply with section 154
  9. 156 Procedure where existence of public right is denied
  10. 157 Procedure where person against whom order is made under section 152 appears to show-cause
  11. 158 Power of Magistrate to direct local investigation and examination of an expert
  12. 159 Power of Magistrate to furnish written instructions, etc
  13. 160 Procedure on order being made absolute and consequences of disobedience
  14. 161 Injunction pending inquiry
  15. 162 Magistrate may prohibit repetition or Continuance of public nuisance
  16. 163 Power to issue order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger
  17. 164 Procedure where dispute concerning land or water is likely to cause breach of peace
  18. 165 Power to attach subject of dispute and to appoint receiver
  19. 166 Dispute concerning right of use of land or water
  20. 167 Local inquiry
ShareWhatsAppTelegramLinkedInX