Mr. D was arrested by the police at 10
a.m. on 2 May for an offence of dacoity. Under Article 22(2) of the Constitution of India, by what time must he be produced before the nearest magistrate?

Article 22(2) of the Constitution mandates that every person arrested and detained in custody shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within twenty-four hours of such arrest, excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of the magistrate, and that no person shall be detained beyond that period without the authority of a magistrate. This is a fundamental safeguard against arbitrary police detention. Clause (1) separately requires that the grounds of arrest be communicated and that the arrested person be allowed to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice. These protections do not apply to persons detained under preventive detention laws, which are governed by clauses (4) to (7). Twenty-four hours is the correct period; twelve, forty-eight, seventy-two hours and seven days are not.