The Prisoners Act, 1900

(1) This Act may be called the Prisoners Act, 1900; 1[(2) It extends to the whole of India except 2[the territories which, immediately before the 1stNovember, 1956, were comprised in Part B States.] 3*** 3***** STATE AMENDMENT Maharashtra.-- Amendment of section 1 of Act III of 1900.--In the Prisoners Act, 1900, in the application tothe State of Bombay, in sub-section (2) of section 1, after the words and letter "comprised in Part BStates" the words "other than the Hyderabad and Saurashtra areas of the State of Bombay" shall beadded. [Vide Bombay Act XV of 1959, s. 4]

In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,-- (a) "Court" includes a Coroner and any officer lawfully exercising civil, criminal or revenuejurisdiction; and (b) "prison" includes any place which has been declared by the State Government, bygeneral or special order, to be a subsidiary jail. 1[(c) "States" means the territories to which this Act extends.]

The officer in charge of a prison shall receive and detain all persons duly committed to hiscustody, under this Act or otherwise, by any Court, according to the exigency of any writ,warrant or order by which such person has been committed, or until such person is dischargedor removed in due course of law.

Theofficer in charge of a prison shall forthwith, after the execution of every such writ, order orwarrant as aforesaid other than a warrant of commitment for trial, or after the discharge of theperson committed thereby, return such writ, order or warrant to the Court by which the samewas issued or made, together with a certificate, endorsed thereon and signed by him, showing how the same has been executed, or why the person committed thereby has been dischargedfrom custody before the execution thereof.

Every writ or warrant for the arrest ofany person issued by the High Court in the exercise of its ordinary, extraordinary or other criminaljurisdiction shall be directed to and executed by a Police officer within the local limits of suchjurisdiction.