320. Arrest or surrender of Army deserter. [§ 12, Act V, 1861].
- An Army deserter shall on arrest or surrender be taken to the nearest police-station where the officer-in-charge shall make out a certificate in B.P. Form No. 54, specifying the date and place of arrest or surrender. This certificate must be signed by the officer-in-charge who shall record below his signature the word "officer-in-charge" and the name of the police-station, and shall be sent without delay to the officer commanding the unit to which the deserter belongs.The deserter shall then be taken, (i) if a deserter from the British Army, to the nearest Justice of the Peace (cf. Sections 22 and 25, Code of Criminal Procedure) ; (ii) if a deserter from the Indian Army, to the nearest Magistrate, either of whom shall prepare a descriptive return and make a summary enquiry preliminary to handing him over to the military authority.
