{"id":10401,"date":"2025-10-18T06:49:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T06:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/?p=10401"},"modified":"2025-10-18T06:53:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T06:53:42","slug":"decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Decoding Section 64 of the Copyright Act: The Minimum Rank for Police Seizure and Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"section-64-copyright-act\">\n<h2 id=\"authority-for-police\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Authority_for_Police_to_Act_Suo_Motu_Under_Section_64\"><\/span>Authority for Police to Act <em>Suo Motu<\/em> Under Section 64<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The authority for police to act <em>suo motu<\/em> (on their own) is limited by Section 64(1). An officer, who must be not below the rank of Sub-Inspector (SI), can seize infringing copies without a warrant if satisfied an offence under Section 63 is occurring. For example, an SI can raid a CD piracy den immediately, but an Assistant SI cannot. In essence, an ASI can help build the case, but the actual raid and seizure of infringing material requires the presence and authorization of an officer with the rank of SI or higher.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0c0c0c;color:#0c0c0c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0c0c0c;color:#0c0c0c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation\/#Authority_for_Police_to_Act_Suo_Motu_Under_Section_64\" >Authority for Police to Act Suo Motu Under Section 64<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation\/#Section_641_of_The_Copyright_Act_1957\" >Section 64(1) of The Copyright Act, 1957<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation\/#Section_642_of_The_Copyright_Act_1957\" >Section 64(2) of The Copyright Act, 1957<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation\/#Analysis_of_Police_Ranks_and_Statutory_Requirement\" >Analysis of Police Ranks and Statutory Requirement<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation\/#Investigation_and_Cognizable_Offence\" >Investigation and Cognizable Offence<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation\/#Cognizability_and_General_Investigation\" >Cognizability and General Investigation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation\/#The_Statutory_Limitation\" >The Statutory Limitation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation\/#Case_Law_Precedent\" >Case Law Precedent<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/decoding-section-64-of-the-copyright-act-the-minimum-rank-for-police-seizure-and-investigation\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>In the absence of an SI, the ASI must <strong>elevate the matter<\/strong> to an officer of the requisite rank or obtain a <strong>judicial warrant<\/strong> to legally seize the infringing copies. They cannot use the <em>suo motu<\/em> seizure power granted by Section 64.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"section-64-1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Section_641_of_The_Copyright_Act_1957\"><\/span><a href=\"\/copyright\/register.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Section 64(1) of The Copyright Act, 1957<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The text of the section states:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Any police officer, <strong>not below the rank of a sub-inspector<\/strong>, may, if he is satisfied that an offence under section 63 in respect of the infringement of copyright in any work has been, is being, or is likely to be, committed, seize without warrant, all copies of the work, and the plates used for the purposes of making infringing copies of the work, wherever found, and all copies and plates so seized shall, as soon as practicable, be produced before a Magistrate.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3 id=\"section-64-2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Section_642_of_The_Copyright_Act_1957\"><\/span>Section 64(2) of The Copyright Act, 1957<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Any person interested in property seized under Section 64(1) can apply to the Magistrate for restoration within <strong>fifteen days<\/strong>. Providing judicial review, the Magistrate must hear both the applicant and the copyright owner, make further necessary inquiry, and then pass an order regarding the restoration of the seized infringing copies or plates.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"analysis-of-ranks\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Analysis_of_Police_Ranks_and_Statutory_Requirement\"><\/span>Analysis of Police Ranks and Statutory Requirement<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the hierarchy of the Indian Police Service (State Police), the ranks are typically as follows:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Rank<\/th>\n<th>Abbreviation<\/th>\n<th>Relative Position<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Sub-Inspector<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>SI<\/td>\n<td><strong>Minimum Rank Prescribed by Law<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Assistant Sub-Inspector<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>ASI<\/td>\n<td><strong>One Rank Below the Statutory Minimum<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Head Constable<\/td>\n<td>HC<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Constable<\/td>\n<td>PC<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Since the law specifies &#8220;<strong>not below the rank of a sub-inspector<\/strong> (SI),&#8221; an <strong>Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI)<\/strong> falls short of the statutory requirement. Therefore, an ASI <strong>cannot legally seize infringing copies without a warrant<\/strong> under the powers granted by Section 64 of the Act.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"investigation-and-cognizable-offence\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Investigation_and_Cognizable_Offence\"><\/span>Investigation and Cognizable Offence<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While an ASI is an investigating officer under the general provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 for a <strong>cognizable offence<\/strong>, the specific, powerful provision in the Copyright Act for <em>search and seizure without a warrant<\/em> has a higher rank restriction.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"cognizability-and-investigation\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cognizability_and_General_Investigation\"><\/span>Cognizability and General Investigation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Cognizable Offence:<\/strong> This means a police officer can register a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 173(1) of the BNSS and begin an investigation without a Magistrate&#8217;s order.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ASI&#8217;s General Power:<\/strong> Under Section 173 of the BNSS, an officer-in-charge of a police station (or a superior officer) retains the power to generally investigate a cognizable case. Thus, the general practice of delegating the main investigation of the copyright case to an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) or Sub-Inspector (SI) remains legally sound, subject to the specific restrictions on warrantless seizure in Section 64 of the <a href=\"\/Legal-Articles\/illustrations-of-literary-works-that-cannot-be-registered-under-copyright-law-in-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Copyright<\/a> Act.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"statutory-limitation\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Statutory_Limitation\"><\/span>The Statutory Limitation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>However, the specific power to <strong>seize property <em>without a search warrant<\/em><\/strong>, which is crucial for tackling piracy, is restricted by the <em>special law<\/em> (the Copyright Act) to an officer of the rank of <strong>Sub-Inspector or above<\/strong>. The special provision of Section 64 overrides the general power to investigate insofar as the specific <em>power of seizure without a warrant<\/em> is concerned.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"case-law-precedent\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Case_Law_Precedent\"><\/span>Case Law Precedent<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The authority of the police to act under the Copyright Act hinges entirely on the interpretation of Section 63 and Section 64:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Supreme Court, in the seminal judgment of <strong> <a href=\"\/Legal-Articles\/search-and-seizure-process-in-copyright-infringement-cases-under-indian-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Knit Pro International v. State of NCT of Delhi<\/a> (2022) SC<\/strong>, resolved a long-standing judicial conflict by ruling that the offence of copyright infringement under Section 63 of the Copyright Act is a cognizable and non-bailable offence. This classification, based on the maximum sentence of three years\u2019 imprisonment, is crucial as it empowers the police to register a First Information Report (FIR) and initiate a full criminal investigation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Relevance to ASI:<\/strong> While this ruling confirms the <em>nature of the offence<\/em> and the general power of police to investigate, it <strong>does not alter the minimum rank requirement<\/strong> for the <em>special power of seizure<\/em> under Section 64. The court did not strike down the phrase &#8220;<strong>not below the rank of a sub-inspector<\/strong>.&#8221; The SI remains the statutory floor for executing a warrantless seizure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"conclusion\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The role of an <strong>Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI)<\/strong> in a Copyright Act case is constrained by the statutory <strong>minimum rank requirement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>While the offence under Section 63 is cognizable, allowing an ASI to participate in the <strong>general investigation<\/strong> (such as registering the FIR and recording witness statements) under the general provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the <strong>critical and extraordinary power of warrantless search and seizure<\/strong> is legally reserved for a higher rank.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, the power to conduct a raid and seize infringing material <strong>without obtaining a search warrant from a Magistrate<\/strong> is <strong>legally barred<\/strong> to an ASI by virtue of <strong>Section 64(1)<\/strong> of the Copyright Act. This section explicitly mandates that the officer must be &#8220;<strong>not below the rank of a Sub-Inspector (SI)<\/strong>.&#8221; Consequently, only an <strong>SI or a higher-ranking officer<\/strong> may lawfully exercise this specific power in a copyright infringement case.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Authority for Police to Act Suo Motu Under Section 64 The authority for police to act suo motu (on their own) is limited by Section 64(1). An officer, who must be not below the rank of Sub-Inspector (SI), can seize infringing copies without a warrant if satisfied an offence under Section 63 is occurring. For<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"two_page_speed":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[28],"class_list":{"0":"post-10401","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-intellectual-property","7":"tag-top-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10401\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}