CrPC § 4 — Definitions

Statutory text (English)

(1) In this Code the following words and expressions have the following meanings,
unless a different intention appears from the subject or content:—
(a)"Advocate General.” "Advocate General” includes also a Government Advocate or, where
there is no Advocate General or Government Advocate, such officer as the 3[Provincial
Government] may, from time to time, appoint in this behalf:
(b) "Bailable Offence." "Non-bailable Offence." "bailable offence" means an offence shown as
bailable in the second schedule, or which is made bailable by any other law for the time being in
force; and "non-bailable offence" means any other offence:
(c) "Charge." "charge" includes any head of charge when the charge contains more heads than
one:
4* * * * * * *
5* * * * * * *
(f) ''Cognizable offence." "Cognizable case." "cognizable offence" means an offence for, and
"cognizable case" means a case in, which a police-officer, 6* * * may, in accordance with the
second schedule or under any law for the time being in force, arrest without warrant:
7* * * * * * *
(h) ''Complaint." "Complaint" means the allegation made orally or in writing to a Magistrate, with
a view to his taking action under this Code, that some person whether known or unknown, has
committed an offence, but it does not include the report of a police-officer:
1* * * * * * *
(j) "High Court." 2["High Court" means the highest Court of criminal appeal or revision for a
province, 3[and the Islamabad Capital Territory]:
(k) "Inquiry." "Inquiry" includes every inquiry other than a trial conducted under this Code by a
Magistrate or Court.
(l) "Investigation." "Investigation" includes all the proceedings under this Code for the collection
of evidence conducted by a police-officer or by any person (other than a Magistrate) who is
authorised by a Magistrate in this behalf:
(m) "Judicial Proceeding." "judicial proceeding" includes any proceeding in the course of which
evidence is or may be legally taken on oath:
4[ma) "Magistrate" means a Judicial Magistrate and includes a Special Judicial Magistrate
appointed under sections 12 and 14;]
(n) "Non-cognizable offence." "Non-cognizable case." "Non-cognizable offence" means an
offence for, and "non-cognizable case" means a case in, which a police-officer, 5* * *, may not
arrest with out warrant:
(o) "Offence." "Offence" means any act or omission made punishable by any law for the time being
in force; it also includes any act in respect of which a complaint may be made under Section 20
of the Cattle-trespass Act, 1871 (I of 1871):
(p) "Officer incharge of a police-station." "Officer incharge of a police-station" includes, when
the officer incharge of the police-station is absent from the station-house or unable from illness
or other cause to perform his duties, the police-officer present at the station-house who is next in
rank to such officer and is above the rank of constable or, when the 6[Provincial Government]
so directs, any other police-officer so present:
(q) "Place." "place" includes also a house, building, tent and vessel:
(r) "Pleader." "pleader," used with reference to any proceeding in any Court, means a pleader 7[or
a mukhtar] authorised under any law 8for the time being in force to practise in such Court, and
includes

(1) an advocate, a vakil and an attorney of a High Court so authorised, and

(2) any 9* *
other person appointed with the permission of the court to act in such proceeding:
(s) "Police-station." “police-station” means any post or place declared, generally or specially, by
the 1[Provincial Government] to be a police-station, and includes any local area specified by the
1[Provincial Government] in this behalf:
(t) “Public Prosecutor.” "Public Prosecutor” means any person appointed under section 492, and
includes any person acting under the directions of a Public Prosecutor and any person
conducting a prosecution on behalf of 2[the State] in any High Court in the exercise of its
original criminal jurisdiction:
(u) “Sub-division.” "Sub-division" means a sub-division of a district:
* * * * * * *

(2) Words referring to acts. Words which refer to acts done, extend also to illegal omissions; and
Words to have same meaning as in Pakistan Penal Code. All words and expressions used herein and
defined in the Pakistan Penal Code (XLV of 1860), and not herein before defined, shall be deemed to have
the meanings respectively attributed to them by that Code.

Source and verification

Source citation: CrPC (Act V of 1898) s.4: Pakistan Code portal consolidated official PDF 'THE CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE' (Act No. V of 1898, last amended 2017-02-16), p. 19, 20, 21, ingested 2026-09-15. Automated transcription from official source (pypdf extraction, audited artifact repair); human admin re-check required before production.

Verification status: verified · Text status: auto_transcribed_verified_source

The record cites an official source, but its transcription is automated or only partly checked; a human re-check is pending.

Official Urdu text status: pending_official_urdu_text. Where official Urdu wording has not been sourced, Qanoon does not substitute an unverified translation for the statutory text.

Historical text notes

1 historical record is linked to this section. Historical wording may be incomplete or pending verification; it is not presented as current law.

• Date not confirmed: Consolidated current text as published in the official Pakistan Code PDF (p. 19, 20, 21) — reflects all amendments recorded in the official footnotes up to ingest date 2026-09-15. Automated transcription; per-amendment…

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