Report No. 248

45. Sheriff of Calcutta (Power of Custody) Act, Act 20 of 1931

Category: Criminal Justice

Recommendation: Repeal

This Act extended the powers of the Sheriffs of Calcutta to hold persons in lawful custody. If the Sheriff was required to take a route while holding a person that lay outside his jurisdiction, this Act permitted him to do so. The position now held by Sheriffs in Kolkata is purely titular, without any executive power, thus making this Act unnecessary. There is no recorded evidence of the use of this Act. This Act has been recommended for repeal by the PC Jain Commission (Appendix A-5).