Chapter I PRELIMINARY

1. (1) This Act may be called the Delhi Police Act, 1978.
2. (2) It extends to the whole of the Union territory of Delhi.
3. (3) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 1st day of July, 1978.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

1. (a) "Administrator" means the Administrator of Delhi appointed under article 239 of the Constitution;
2. (b) "cattle" includes elephants, camels, horses, asses, mules, sheep, goats and swine;
3. (c) "competent authority", when used with reference to the exercise of any power or discharge of any duty under the provisions of this Act, means the Commissioner of Police appointed under section 6 or any other police officer specially empowered in that behalf by the Central Government;
4. (d) "constable" means a police officer of the lowest grade;
5. (e) "Corporation" means the Municipal Corporation of Delhi constituted under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 (66 of 1957);
6. (f) "Delhi" means the Union territory of Delhi;
7. (g) "Delhi police" or "police force" means the police force referred to in section 3 and includes—
   • (i) all persons appointed as special police officers under sub-section (1) of section 17 and additional police officers appointed under section 18; and
   • (ii) all other persons, by whatever name known, who exercise any police function in any part of Delhi;
8. (h) "eating house" means any place to which the public are admitted and where any kind of food or drink is supplied for consumption on the premises by any person owning, or having any interest in, or managing, such place and includes—
   • (i) a refreshment room, boarding house or coffee house, or
   • (ii) a shop where any kind of food or drink is supplied to the public for consumption in or near such shop, but does not include a place of public entertainment;
   • (i) "municipality" means the New Delhi Municipal Committee, the Cantonment Board or any other municipal body, other than the Corporation, established by or under any law for the time being in force in or in any part of Delhi;
9. (j) "place" includes—
   • (i) any building, tent, booth or other erection, whether permanent or temporary; and
   • (ii) any area, whether enclosed or open;
10. (k) "place of public amusement" means any place where music, singing, dancing or game or any other amusement, diversion, or recreation or the means of carrying on the same is provided, to which the public are admitted either on payment of money or with the intention that money may be collected from those admitted and includes a race course, circus, theatre, music hall, billiard or bagatelle room, gymnasium, fencing school, swimming pool or dancing hall;
11. (l) "place of public entertainment" means a lodging house, boarding and lodging house or residential hostel and includes any eating house or other place in which any kind of liquor or intoxicating drug is supplied (such as a tavern or a shop where beer, spirit, arrack, toddy, ganja, bhang or opium is supplied) to the public for consumption in or near such place;
12. (m) "police officer" means any member of the Delhi police;
13. (n) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules;
14. (o) "public place" means any place to which the public have access, whether as of right or not, and includes—
    • (i) a public building and monument and precincts thereof; and
    • (ii) any place accessible to the public for drawing water, washing or bathing or for purposes of recreation;
15. (p) "regulations" means regulations made under this Act;
16. (q) "rules" means rules made under this Act;
17. (r) "street" includes any highway, bridge, way over a causeway, viaduct or arch or any road, lane, footway, square, court, alley or passage accessible to the public, whether or not it is a thoroughfare;
18. (s) "subordinate ranks" means members of the police force of and below the rank of the Inspector;
19. (t) "vehicle" means any carriage, cart, van, dray, truck, handcart or other conveyance of any description and includes a bicycle, tricycle, a rickshaw, a motor vehicle, a vessel or an aeroplane.