India, Nov. 9 -- "The view that 24 hours begins only from the formal arrest is contrary to the Constitutional mandate and Section 58 of BNSS," the Court said. The Supreme Court held that the 24-hour constitutional deadline for producing a person before a Magistrate begins at the time of detention, not when the law enforcement agency records the arrest.

The key difference is that detention is a temporary restriction of movement for preliminary questioning or investigation. In contrast, an arrest is a formal legal process by which a person is taken into custody based on probable cause.

The common understanding was that the 24-hour deadline begins with the formal arrest, and law enforcement agencies were following the same procedure.

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