LexThe Maharashtra Village Police Act, 1967.
Maharashtra · state statute
Open in Lexace · Ask the AI about this act1967 : Mah. XLVI] 1
THE MAHARASHTRA VILLAGE POLICE ACT, 1967
[Text as on 24th April 2025]
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CONTENTS
PREAMBLE.
SECTIONS.
1. Short title, extent and commencement.
2. Definitions.
3. Administration, control and direction of village police, in whom vested.
4. Power to depute to Superintendent or Commissioner of Police authority over village police
officer.
5. Appointment, remuneration and other conditions of service of Police-patils.
6. Duties of Police-patil.
7. Authority over village servants.
8. Precautions against robbery, etc.
9. Penalties for neglect of duty, etc.
10. Liability to criminal prosecution not affected.
11. Power to suspend pending departmental inquiry or criminal trial.
12. Information to Station Officer when criminal in village has escaped or is not known.
13. Investigation into cases of unnatural or sudden death or corpse found within village.
14. Police-patil to apprehend person he believes has committed serious offence.
15. Power to call and examine witnesses, record evidence and search for concealed articles.
16. Unclaimed property.
17. Prosecutions under other laws for offence punishable under this Act.
18. Repeal and savings.
2 The Maharashtra Village Police Act, 1967 [1967 : Mah. XLVI
1967 : Mah. XLVI] The Maharashtra Village Police Act, 1967 3
MAHARASHTRA ACT No. XLVI of 19671
[THE MAHARASHTRA VILLAGE POLICE ACT, 1967.]
[This Act received the assent of the Governor on the 17th December 1967; assent was first published
in the Maharashtra Government Gazette, Extraordinary No. 55, Part IV, on the 22nd December 1967.]
An Act to consolidate and amend the law for the regulation of village police in the
State of Maharashtra.
WHEREAS it is expedient to consolidate and amend the law for the regulation of village Pol ice
in the State of Maharashtra ; It is hereby enacted in the Eighteenth Year of the Republic of India as
follows :—
1. Short title, extent and commencement. — (1) This Act may be called the Maharashtra
Village Police Act, 1967.
(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Maharashtra, but excluding Greater Bombay.
(3) It shall come into force on such date 2 as the State Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.— In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “Station Officer” means the Police Officer in charge of the police station within the
limits of which the village for which Police-patil is appointed is situated ;
(b) “village” shall have the meaning assigned to it in the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code,
1966 (Mah. XLI of 1966).
3. Administration, control and direction of village police, in whom vested. — The
administration of the village police throughout each district shall, under the control and direction of the
State Government and the Commissioner, be exercised by the District Magistrate, who may, with the
sanction of the State Government or the Co mmissioner, delegate all or any of the powers conferred on
or exercisable by him by or under the provisions of this Act (including the power to appoint
Police-patils under section 5 and also the power under section 9 to take action against Police -patils or
members of a village establishment liable to be called on for performance of police duties), to any
Sub-Divisional Magistrate or Taluka Ma gistrate, ha ving revenue charge as an Assistant or Deputy
Collector or Tahasildar.
4. Power to depute to Superintendent or Commissioner of Polic e authority over village
police-officer.— It shall be lawful for the District Magistrate, with the sanction of the Commissi oner,
to depute to the Superintendent of Police or the Commissioner of Police, as the case may be, any
authority which may be exercised by the District Magistrate for the purposes of police over any village
police officer.
5. Appointment , remuneration and other conditions of service of Police -patils.— (1) The
State Government shall appoint one or more Police-patils for a village or group of villages.
(2) The village police in each village shall be under the charges of the Police -patil, and where
there are more than one, under the charge of such Police-patil as the State Government may direct.
(3) The recruitment, remuneration and other conditions of service of Police-patils shall be such as
may, from time to time, be determined by the State Government by general or special order.
(4) The powers of the State Government under sub-sections (1) and (2) may be exercised also by
the District Magistrate :
1 For Statement of Objects and Reasons of the L. A. Bill No. XLIV of 1967, See Maharashtra Government Gazette, 1967,
Extraordinary, Part V, dated the 16th November 1967, page 328.
2 This Act came into force on 5 th June 1968, vide G.N.D. No. BVP-3367 (9)(VI), dated the 31 st May 1968, published in
M.G.G. Pt. IV-B.
4 The Maharashtra Village Police Act, 1967 [1967 : Mah. XLVI
Provided that, the number of Police -patils appointed by the State Government for any village or
group of villages shall not be exceeded, without the previous sanction of the State Government.
6. Duties of Police -patil.— Subject to the orders of the Distric t Magistrate, the Police -patil
shall,—
(i) act under the orders of any other Executive Magistrate within whose local jurisdiction his
village is situated ;
(ii) furnish such return and information as may be called for by such Executive Magistrate ;
(iii) constantly keep such Executive Magistrate informed as to the state of crime and all
matters connected with the village police and the health and general condition of the community
in his village ;
(iv) afford every assistance in his power to all Police Officers when called upon by them in
the performance of their duty ;
(v) promptly obey and execute all orders and warrants issued to him by a Magistrate or
Police Officer ;
(vi) collect and communicate to the Station Officer intelligence affecting the public peace ;
(vii) prevent within the limits of his village the commission of offence and public nuisances,
and detect and bring offenders therein to justice ;
(viii) perform such other duties as are specified under other provisions of this Act, and as the
State Government may, from time to time, by general or special order specify in this behalf.
7. Authority over village servants. — The Police-patil shall have authority to require all village
servants, in whatever capacity ordinarily employed, to aid him in performing the duties entrusted to
him; and it shall be the duty of the Talathi of the vill age to frame all written returns and proceedings
for the Police-patil.
8. Precautions against robbery, etc. — The Police -patil shall dispose of the village
establishment so as to afford the utmost possible security against robbery, breach of the peace and act
injurious to the public and to the village community, and shall report to the Executive Magistrate all
instances of misconduct or neglect committed by any member of the said establishment.
9. P enalties for neglect of duty, etc. — Any Police-patil or member of a village establishment
liable to be called on or for the performance of Police duties, who shall be careless, or negligent in the
discharge of his duties or guilty of any misconduct shall be liable to the following penalties,
namely :—
(a) censure ;
(b) recovery from his remuneration of the whole or part of any pecuniary loss caused to
Government ;
(c) fine, not exceeding his remuneration for a month ;
(d) suspension, for a period not exceeding one year ;
(e) removal from service, which shall not disqualify from future employment under
Government ;
(f) dismissal from service which shall ordinarily disqualify from future employment under
Government ;
Any of the penalties, mentioned in clauses ( a) to ( d) may be imposed by any Executive
Magistrate not below the rank of Taluka Magistrate, and the penalties mentioned in clauses ( e)
and ( f) may be imposed by any Executive Magistrate not below the rank of Sub -Divisional
Magistrate who is competent to make the appointment of the Police-patil.
1967 : Mah. XLVI] The Maharashtra Village Police Act, 1967 5
10. Liability to criminal prosecution not affected.— Nothing in the last preceding section shall
affect the liability of any Police -patil or other member of a village establishment to a criminal
prosecution for any offence with which he may be charged.
11. Power to suspend pending departmental inquiry or criminal trail. — The District
Magistrate, or a Sub -Divisional Magistrate who is competent to make the appointment of a Police -
patil, may suspend the Police -patil, if serving within the limits of his jurisdiction, pending a
departmental inquiry or the inquiry and trail in a criminal prosecution against such Patil.
12. Information to Station Officer when criminal in village has escaped or is not known. —
If a crime has been committed within the lim its of any village, and the perpetrator thereof has escaped
or is not known, the Police -patil shall forward immediate information to the Station Officer, and shall
himself proceed to investigate the matter, obtaining all procurable evidence relation to it which he shall
forward in continuation to the Station Officer.
13. Investigation into cases of unnatural or sudden death or corpse found within village. —
(1) If any unnatural or sudden death occur , or any cor pse be found, within the bounds of any village,
the Police-patil shall forthwith proceed to the place of incident and call upon two or more intelligent
persons belonging to the village or neighbourhood, who shall investigate the causes of death and all the
circumstances of the case, and make a written report of the same, which the Police -patil shall cause to
be forthwith delivered to the Station Officer.
(2) Any person who, on being called upon by the Police -patil to hold such investigation, shall
without justifiable cause refuse or neglect to do so, shall , on conviction, be punished with fine which
may extend to fifty rupees.
(3) If the results of the investigation afford reason for supposing that death has been unlawfully
occasioned, the Police-patil shall give immediate notice to the Station Officer, and, if the corpse can be
forwarded without the risk of putrefaction by the way, shall at once forward it to the nearest Civil
Surgeon or other m edical officer appointed by the State Government to examine corpses under such
circumstances, who shall endeavour to ascertain the cause of death.
If the Police -patil is unable to forward the corpse without the risk of putrefaction rendering
examination useless or dangerous, he shall nevertheless prevent the burning or burying of such corpse
until the Station Officer or a Magistrate shall have assented thereto.
14. Police -patil to apprehend person he believes has committed serious offence. — (1) The
Police-patil shall apprehend any person within the limits of his village who he may have reason to
believe has committed any serious offence, and s hall forward such person, toge ther with all articles
likely to be useful as evidence, to the Station Officer.
(2) Every person so apprehended shall within twenty-four hours be produced before the nearest
Magistrate, excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place where he is apprehended to the
Court of the Magistrate.
15. Power to call and exa mine witnesses, record evidence and search for concealed
articles.— (1) The Police-patil, in making any investigation coming within the scope of his duty, shall
have authority to call and examine witness es, and record their statement, and to search for concealed
articles, taking ca re that no search b e made in dwelling house between sunset and sunrise without
urgent occasion.
(2) The Police -patil shall also have authority, in carrying our any search or any pursuit of
supposed criminals, to enter and act within the limit of other villages, being bound however to give
immediate information to the Police-patil thereof, who shall afford him all the assistance in his power,
and be immediately responsible for continuing the search and pursuit.
16. Unclaimed property. — The Police-patil shall take charge of all unclaimed property found
within his village, or made over to him under the provisions of the 1Bombay Police Act, 1951
(Bom. XXII of 1951), and shall forthwith make a report if his village is within the limits of the
1 The short title of this Act was amended as “the Maharashtra Police Act” by Mah. 24 of 2012, Sch., entry 45, w.e.f.
1-5-1960.
6 The Maharashtra Village Police Act, 1967 [1967 : Mah. XLVI
jurisdiction of a Commissioner of Po lice to such Commissioner and if any other case to the nearest
Executive Magistrate, and act thereafter as he may be directed by the said Commissioner or Magistrate,
unless the property be of a description coming within the provisions of the Cattle Trespass Act, 1871
(I of 1871) or any law corresponding to that Act in force, in which case the Police -patil shall be guided
by that enactment or law.
A copy of every such report made by the Police-patil shall be forwarded to the Station Officer.
17. Prosecution s under other laws for offence punishable under this Act. — Nothing
contained in this Act shall be construed to prevent th e prosecution of any person under any other law
for any offence made punishable by this Act, or from being liable under any other law to any other or
higher penalty or punishment than is provided for such offence by this Act.
18. Repeal and savings. — The Bombay Village Police Act, 1867 (Bom. VIII of 1867), is
hereby repealed :
(a) the previous operation of the Act so repealed or anything duly done or suffered
thereunder ;
(b) any right, privilege, obligation or liability acquired, accrued or incurred under the Act so
repealed ; or
(c) any penalty or punishment incurred in respect of any offence committed against the Act
so repealed ; or
(d) any investigation, legal proceeding or remedy in respect of any such right, privilege,
obligation, liability, penalty or punishment as aforesaid ;
and any such investigation, legal proceeding or remedy may be instituted, continued or enforced, and
any such penalty or punishment may be imposed, as if this Act had not been passed :
Provided further that, subject to the prec eding proviso, anything done or any actio n taken
(including any appointment of delegation made and notification, order or rule issued) under the Act so
repealed shall, in so far as it is not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, be deemed to have b een
done or taken under the corresponding provisions of this Act, and shall continue to be in force
accordingly, unless and until superseded by anything done or any action taken under this Act.