CrPC § 503 — When attendance of witness may be dispensed with

Statutory text (English)

(1) Whenever, in the course of an inquiry, a
trial or any other proceeding under this Code, it appears to
* * *, 2* * * a Court of Session or the High
Court that the examination of a witness is necessary for the ends of Justice, and that the attendance of such
witness cannot be procured without an amount of delay, expense or inconvenience which, under the
circumstances of the case, would be unreasonable, such 2* * * Court may dispense with such attendance
and may issue a commission to any 2* * * Magistrate of the First Class, within the local limits of
whose jurisdiction such witness resides, to take the evidence of such witness.
* * * * *
[(2A) When the witness resides in an area in or in relation to which the President has extra-provincial
jurisdiction within the meaning of the Extra-Provincial Jurisdiction Order, 1949 (G.G.O. No- 5 of 1949) the
commission may be issued to such Court or officer in the area as may be recognised by the President by
notification in the official Gazette has a Court or officer to which or to whom commissions may be issued
under this sub-section and within the local limits of whose jurisdiction the witness resides.];
(2B) When the witness resides in the United Kingdom or any other country of the Commonwealth
*or in the Union of Burma,
[or any other country in which reciprocal arrangement in this behalf exists,] the
commission may be issued to such Court or Judge having authority in this behalf in that country as may be
specified by the
[Federal Government] by
notification in the Official Gazette.]

(3) The Magistrate or officer to whom the commission is issued,
* * *
* * *shall proceed to the place
where the witness is or shall summon the witness before him, and shall take down his evidence in the same
manner, and may for this purpose exercise the same powers, as in trials of
[cases] under this code.
[
(4) Where the commission is issued to such officer as is mentioned in sub-section (2A), he may, in lieu
of proceeding in the manner provided in sub-section

(3), delegate his powers and duties under the
commission to any officer subordinate to him whose powers are not less than those of a Magistrate of the
first class in Pakistan.].

Source and verification

Source citation: CrPC (Act V of 1898) s.503: Pakistan Code portal consolidated official PDF 'THE CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE' (Act No. V of 1898, last amended 2017-02-16), p. 176, 177, 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. 176, 177) — reflects all amendments recorded in the official footnotes up to ingest date 2026-09-15. Automated transcription; per-amendment…

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