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Home BNSS Explained Search, Seizure & Forensic Evidence
§105

Mandatory Audio-Video Recording of Search & Seizure

Plain-English Summary — Not Verbatim Statutory Text

A genuinely new safeguard: the process of searching a place or seizing property — including preparing and signing the list of seized items — must be recorded through audio-video electronic means, preferably a mobile phone, and the recording forwarded without delay to a magistrate.

  • Courts have already begun enforcing this strictly — in one 2024 case, evidence presented without any such recording was dismissed by the Supreme Court, which re-emphasised the mandatory nature of this requirement.

If police search your home or seize your property, you're entitled to expect this to be recorded on video — its absence can itself become a serious challenge to how that evidence is later used against you.

Cross-References

Related law

BNSS Sec. 96

The warrant provision this recording requirement attaches to

Quick Answers

Still wondering about...

What if there's no recording at all?
Courts have treated the complete absence of a required recording as a serious procedural defect — worth raising with a lawyer if it happened in your case.

This is a plain-English summary, not verbatim statutory text. Adhikar is an independent citizen-awareness platform, not a Government of India website. Always verify against the bare Act (legislative.gov.in) or a qualified advocate before relying on this for an actual legal situation.