CrPC § 176 — Inquiry by Magistrate into cause of death

Statutory text (English)

(1) When any person dies while in the custody of
the police, the nearest Magistrate empowered to hold inquests shall, and, in any other case mentioned in
section 174, clauses (a), (b) and (c) of sub-section

(1), any Magistrate so empowered may hold an inquiry
into the cause of death either instead of, or in addition to, the investigation held by the
police-officer, and if he does so, he shall have all the powers in conducting it which he would have in
holding an inquiry into an offence. The Magistrate holding such an inquiry shall record the evidence taken
by him in connection therewith in any of the manners hereinafter prescribed according to the circumstances
of the case.

(2) Power to disinter corpses. Whenever such Magistrate considers it expedient to make an
examination of the dead body of any person who has been already interred, in order to discover the cause of
his death, the Magistrate may, cause the body to be disinterred and examined.

Source and verification

Source citation: CrPC (Act V of 1898) s.176: Pakistan Code portal consolidated official PDF 'THE CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE' (Act No. V of 1898, last amended 2017-02-16), p. 89, 90, 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. 89, 90) — reflects all amendments recorded in the official footnotes up to ingest date 2026-09-15. Automated transcription; per-amendment…

Read this provision with care

This is a public reference to a stored statute record, not legal advice or a case-specific interpretation. Check the latest official gazette, applicable amendments and jurisdiction before relying on the text. A citation and verification label describe the record in this app; they cannot confirm that no later change has occurred. For a real legal matter, consult a licensed advocate.

Use the full CrPC section index to compare nearby provisions, or return to search.