Army Act, 1950
An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to the Government of the regular Army.
Chapter I: Preliminary
- 1 Short title and commencement
- 2 Persons subject to this Act 2 judgments
- 3 Definitions 7 judgments
Chapter II: Special Provisions for the Application of Act in Certain Cases
- 4 Application of Act to certain forces under Central Government 4 judgments
- 5 [Omitted.] 1 judgment
- 6 Special provision as to rank in certain cases
- 7 Commanding officer of persons subject to military law under clause (i) of section 2
- 8 Officers exercising powers in certain cases 1 judgment
- 9 Power to declare persons to be on active service 4 judgments
Chapter III: Commission, Appointment and Enrolment
Chapter IV: Conditions of Service
- 18 Tenure of service under the Act 6 judgments
- 19 Termination of service by Central Government 7 judgments
- 20 Dismissal, removal or reduction by the Chief of the Army Staff and by other officers 8 judgments
- 21 Power to modify certain fundamental rights in their application to persons subject to this Act 6 judgments
- 22 Retirement, release or discharge 4 judgments
- 23 Certificate on termination of service
- 24 Discharge or dismissal when out of India
Chapter V: Service Privileges
- 25 Authorised deductions only to be made from pay
- 26 Remedy of aggrieved persons other than officers
- 27 Remedy of aggrieved officers 3 judgments
- 28 Immunity from attachment
- 29 Immunity from arrest for debt
- 30 Immunity of persons attending courts-martial from arrest
- 31 Privileges of reservists
- 32 Priority in respect of army personnel‟s litigation
- 33 Saving of rights and privileges under other laws 1 judgment
Chapter VI: Offences
- 34 Offences in relation to the enemy and punishable with death 1 judgment
- 35 Offences in relation to the enemy and not punishable with death
- 36 Offences punishable more severely on active service than at other times 1 judgment
- 37 Mutiny
- 38 Desertion and aiding desertion
- 39 Absence without leave 10 judgments
- 40 Striking or threatening superior officers 2 judgments
- 41 Disobedience to superior officer 4 judgments
- 42 Insubordination and obstruction
- 43 Fraudulent enrolment
- 44 False answers on enrolment
- 45 Unbecoming conduct 5 judgments
- 46 Certain forms of disgraceful conduct
- 47 Ill-treating a subordinate
- 48 Intoxication 1 judgment
- 49 Permitting escape of person in custody
- 50 Irregularity in connection with arrest or confinement
- 51 Escape from custody 1 judgment
- 52 Offences in respect of property 11 judgments
- 53 Extortion and corruption 1 judgment
- 54 Making away with equipment 1 judgment
- 55 Injury to property
- 56 False accusations
- 57 Falsifying official documents and false declaration 1 judgment
- 58 Signing in blank and failure to report
- 59 Offences relating to courts-martial
- 60 False evidence
- 61 Unlawful detention of pay
- 62 Offences in relation to aircraft and flying
- 63 Violation of good order and discipline 15 judgments
- 64 Miscellaneous offences 1 judgment
- 65 Attempt
- 66 Abetment of offences that have been committed
- 67 Abetment of offences punishable with death and not committed
- 68 Abetment of offences punishable with imprisonment and not committed
- 69 Civil offences 15 judgments
- 70 Civil offence not triable by court-martial 6 judgments
Chapter VII: Punishments
- 71 Punishments awardable by courts-martial 9 judgments
- 72 Alternative punishments awardable by court-martial 3 judgments
- 73 Combination of punishments 1 judgment
- 74 Cashiering of officers
- 75 [Omitted.]
- 76 [Omitted.]
- 77 Result of certain punishments in the case of a warrant officer or non-commissioned officer
- 78 Retention in the ranks of a person convicted on active service
- 79 Punishments otherwise than by court-martial
- 80 Punishment of persons other than officers, junior commissioned officers and warrant officers 3 judgments
- 81 Limit of punishments under section 80
- 82 Punishments in addition to those specified in section 80
- 83 Punishment of officers, junior commissioned officers and warrant officers by brigade commanders and others 3 judgments
- 84 Punishment of officers, junior commissioned officers and warrant officers by area commanders and others 2 judgments
- 85 Punishment of junior commissioned officers 2 judgments
- 86 Transmission of proceedings
- 87 Review of proceedings
- 88 Superior military authority
- 89 Collective fines
Chapter VIII: Penal Deductions
- 90 Deductions from pay and allowances of officers 1 judgment
- 91 Deductions from pay and allowances of persons other than officers
- 92 Computation of time of absence or custody
- 93 Pay and allowances during trial
- 94 Limit of certain deductions
- 95 Deduction from public money due to a person
- 96 Pay and allowances of prisoner of war during inquiry into his conduct
- 97 Remission of deductions
- 98 Provision for dependants of prisoner of war from remitted deductions
- 99 Provision for dependants of prisoner war from his pay and allowances
- 100 Period during which a person is deemed to be a prisoner of war
Chapter IX: Arrest and Proceedings Before Trial
Chapter X: Courts-Martial
- 108 Kinds of courts-martial 3 judgments
- 109 Power to convene a general court-martial 3 judgments
- 110 Power to convene a district court-martial
- 111 Contents of warrants issued under sections 109 and 110
- 112 Power to convene a summary general court-martial
- 113 Composition of general court-martial
- 114 Composition of district court-martial
- 115 Composition of summary general court-martial
- 116 Summary court-martial 3 judgments
- 117 Dissolution of courts-martial 1 judgment
- 118 Powers of general and summary general courts-martial
- 119 Powers of district courts-martial
- 120 Powers of summary courts-martial 3 judgments
- 121 Prohibition of second trial 4 judgments
- 122 Period of limitation for trial 11 judgments
- 123 Liability of offender who ceases to be subject to Act 6 judgments
- 124 Place of trial 1 judgment
- 125 Choice between criminal court and court-martial 13 judgments
- 126 Power of criminal court to require delivery of offender 9 judgments
- 127 [Omitted.] 4 judgments
Chapter XI: Procedure of Courts-Martial
- 128 Presiding officer
- 129 Judge advocate
- 130 Challenges 4 judgments
- 131 Oaths of member, judge advocate and witness
- 132 Voting by members
- 133 General rule as to evidence 1 judgment
- 134 Judicial notice
- 135 Summoning witnesses 1 judgment
- 136 Documents exempted from production
- 137 Commissions for examination of witnesses
- 138 Examination of a witness on commission
- 139 Conviction of offence not charged 1 judgment
- 140 Presumption as to signatures
- 141 Enrolment paper 1 judgment
- 142 Presumption as to certain documents
- 143 Reference by accused to Government officer
- 144 Evidence of previous convictions and general character
- 145 Lunacy of accused
- 146 Subsequent fitness of lunatic accused for trial
- 147 Transmission to Central Government of orders under section 146
- 148 Release of lunatic accused
- 149 Delivery of lunatic accused to relatives
- 150 Order for custody and disposal of property pending trial
- 151 Order for disposal of property regarding which offence is committed
- 152 Powers of court-martial in relation to proceedings under this Act
Chapter XII: Confirmation and Revision
- 153 Finding and sentence not valid, unless confirmed 7 judgments
- 154 Power to confirm finding and sentence of general court-martial 3 judgments
- 155 Power to confirm finding and sentence of district court-martial
- 156 Limitation of powers of confirming authority
- 157 Power to confirm finding and sentence of summary general court-martial 1 judgment
- 158 Power of confirming authority to mitigate, remit or commute sentences 1 judgment
- 159 Confirming of findings and sentences on board a ship
- 160 Revision of finding or sentence 7 judgments
- 161 Finding and sentence of a summary court-martial 1 judgment
- 162 Transmission of proceedings of summary court-martial 4 judgments
- 163 Alteration of finding or sentence in certain cases 1 judgment
- 164 Remedy against order, finding or sentence of court-martial 24 judgments
- 165 Annulment of proceedings 11 judgments
Chapter XIII: Execution of Sentences
- 166 Form of sentence of death
- 167 Commencement of sentence of transportation or imprisonment 3 judgments
- 168 Execution of sentence of transportation
- 169 Execution of sentence of imprisonment 1 judgment
- 169A Period of custody undergone by the officer or person to be set off against the imprisonment 2 judgments
- 170 Temporary custody of offender
- 171 Execution of sentence of imprisonment in special cases
- 172 Conveyance of prisoner from place to place
- 173 Communication of certain orders to prison officers
- 174 Execution of sentence of fine
- 175 Establishment and regulation of military prisons
- 176 Informality or error in the order or warrant
- 177 Power to make rules in respect of prisons and prisoners
- 178 Restriction of rulemaking power in regard to corporal punishment
Chapter XIV: Pardons, Remissions and Suspensions
- 179 Pardon and remission
- 180 Cancellation of conditional pardon, release on parole or remission
- 181 Reduction of warrant officer or non-commissioned officer
- 182 Suspension of sentence of transportation or imprisonment
- 183 Orders pending suspension
- 184 Release on suspension
- 185 Computation of period of suspension
- 186 Order after suspension
- 187 Reconsideration of case after suspension
- 188 Fresh sentences after suspension
- 189 Scope of power of suspension
- 190 Effect of suspension and remission on dismissal
Chapter XV: Rules
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.