Section 19 in The West Bengal Maintenance Of Public Order Act, 1972
19. Special provision for searches.
(1)In any area in which the State Government, as a consequence of apprehended danger to the public in such area, notifies in the Official Gazette in this behalf, any police officer may in any road, street, alley, public place, or open space, stop and search any person in such area for the purpose of ascertaining whether such person is carrying, in contravention of any law for the time being in force, any explosive or corrosive substance or liquid or any weapon of offence or any article which may be used as a weapon of offence and may seize any such substance or liquid together with its container, if any, or any such weapon or article discovered during such search:Provided that every such search shall be made with due regard to decency and that no woman shall be searched except by a woman.(2)Any police officer authorised in this behalf by general or special order of a Deputy Commissioner of Police in Calcutta and the Superintendent of Police elsewhere, may enter and search any place, vessel, vehicle, aircraft or animal and, for that purpose, stop any vessel, vehicle, aircraft or animal and may seize any commodity, article or thing (including any vessel, vehicle, aircraft or animal) which, he has reason to believe, has been, is being or is about to be, used for committing any subversive act.Explanation. - In this sub-section "Calcutta" means the town of Calcutta as defined in section 3 of the Calcutta Police Act, 1866, together with the suburbs of Calcutta as defined by notification under section 1 of the Calcutta Suburban Police Act, 1866.(3)Anything seized under sub-section (1) shall be conveyed and any commodity, article or thing (including any vessel, vehicle, aircraft or animal) seized under sub-section (2) shall be reported, without delay before a Magistrate who may give such directions as to the temporary custody thereof as he may think fit, so, however, that where no prosecution in respect thereof is instituted within a period, in his opinion, reasonable, the Magistrate may, subject to the provision of any other law for the time being in force, give such orders as to the final disposal thereof as he deems expedient.
