📄 Citizen Pocket Legal Shield (Printable 1-Page Offline Card)
Top 10 essential everyday protections formatted to print on 1 page or save on phone.
Arrest Protocol
✅ MANDATORY WITNESS
🌐 All-India Central Act
Must an Arrest Memo be signed by a local witness or family member during arrest?
MANDATORY. Under Section 41B CrPC / Section 36 BNSS, every arrest memo MUST be attested by at least one witness who is a family member or respectable member of the locality.
Governing Law:
Section 41B CrPC / Section 36 BNSS, 2023 & D.K. Basu Guidelines
Constitutional Articles:
Article 21 (Fair Procedure in Arrest)
(Art 21 →)
Exact Words to Speak Calmly:
🛡️ Article 21 Shield
“Officer, with due respect, as per Section 41B CrPC / Section 36 BNSS, 2023 & D.K. Basu Guidelines, arrest memo must state exact time, date, location, and offense. This is constitutionally protected under Article 21 (Fair Procedure in Arrest); kindly follow statutory due process and provide an official written record.”
What the Law Says
- • Arrest memo must state exact time, date, location, and offense.
- • The arrested person must countersign the memo and receive a copy.
What to Say & Do Calmly (Step-by-Step)
- Demand: 'Officer, please prepare the arrest memo and have it attested by a local witness before taking me.'
Custody Safety
✅ MANDATORY CHECKUP
🌐 All-India Central Act
Is the police required to conduct a medical examination of an arrested person every 48 hours?
MANDATORY LAW. Section 54 CrPC / Section 53 BNSS requires every arrested person to be examined by a registered medical officer immediately upon arrest and every 48 hours in custody.
Governing Law:
Section 54 CrPC / Section 53 BNSS, 2023 & Supreme Court D.K. Basu Directives
Constitutional Articles:
Article 21 (Prevention of Custodial Violence)
(Art 21 →)
Exact Words to Speak Calmly:
🛡️ Article 21 Shield
“Officer, with due respect, as per Section 54 CrPC / Section 53 BNSS, 2023 & Supreme Court D.K. Basu Directives, medical report records all pre-existing injuries to prove whether torture occurred in custody. This is constitutionally protected under Article 21 (Prevention of Custodial Violence); kindly follow statutory due process and provide an official written record.”
What the Law Says
- • Medical report records all pre-existing injuries to prove whether torture occurred in custody.
- • Copy of the medical inspection report must be furnished to the arrestee and Magistrate.
What to Say & Do Calmly (Step-by-Step)
- Show all bruises or injuries to the doctor during examination and insist they be recorded in the Medico-Legal Case (MLC) sheet.
RBI Mandate
⚠️ ZERO LIABILITY
🌐 All-India Central Act
Are you liable for money stolen in an unauthorized bank phishing or OTP fraud?
ZERO LIABILITY. If you report an unauthorized electronic banking fraud to your bank within 3 working days, you have ZERO liability under RBI guidelines.
Governing Law:
RBI Circular on Customer Protection - Limiting Liability in Unauthorized Electronic Banking Transactions (2017)
Constitutional Articles:
Article 21 (Financial Security & Fair Consumer Protection)
(Art 21 →)
Exact Words to Speak Calmly:
🛡️ Article 21 Shield
“Officer / Authority, with due respect, as per RBI Circular on Customer Protection - Limiting Liability in Unauthorized Electronic Banking Transactions (2017), reporting within 3 days ensures 100% zero liability, and bank must credit the lost amount as shadow credit within 10 working days. This is constitutionally protected under Article 21 (Financial Security & Fair Consumer Protection); kindly follow statutory due process and provide an official written record.”
What the Law Says
- • Reporting within 3 days ensures 100% zero liability, and bank must credit the lost amount as shadow credit within 10 working days.
- • Reporting between 4 to 7 days caps liability at ₹10,000 for savings accounts.
- • Bank bears the burden of proving customer negligence.
What to Say & Do Calmly (Step-by-Step)
- Immediately block your debit/credit card and net banking via bank app or helpline.
- Dial National Cybercrime Helpline 1930 to freeze the fraudster's wallet or account.
- Submit a written dispute form to your bank branch within 3 days and get an acknowledged reference number.
Cybercrime
⚠️ CRIMINAL EXTORTION
🌐 All-India Central Act
Can digital lending apps access your contacts and harass your family with morphed photos?
CRIMINAL OFFENSE. RBI strictly bans lending apps from accessing mobile phone contacts, media, and gallery, and extortion is punishable with rigorous imprisonment.
Governing Law:
RBI Digital Lending Guidelines (2022) & Section 383/384 IPC (Extortion) / Section 308 BNS & Section 66E IT Act
Constitutional Articles:
Article 21 (Right to Privacy & Reputation)
(Art 21 →)
Exact Words to Speak Calmly:
🛡️ Article 21 Shield
“Officer / Authority, with due respect, as per RBI Digital Lending Guidelines (2022) & Section 383/384 IPC (Extortion) / Section 308 BNS & Section 66E IT Act, lending apps cannot require access to contact lists, call logs, or storage galleries. This is constitutionally protected under Article 21 (Right to Privacy & Reputation); kindly follow statutory due process and provide an official written record.”
What the Law Says
- • Lending apps cannot require access to contact lists, call logs, or storage galleries.
- • Threatening family members or circulating morphed pictures constitutes extortion and criminal intimidation.
What to Say & Do Calmly (Step-by-Step)
- Never pay ransom demands to unregulated lending apps.
- Take screenshots of abusive WhatsApp chats, morphed images, and payment UPI IDs.
- File an immediate report on cybercrime.gov.in and dial 1930.
Digital Dignity
⚠️ NON-BAILABLE CRIME
🌐 All-India Central Act
What is the legal recourse if someone leaks private intimate images or engages in sextortion?
PUNISHABLE CRIME. Capturing, publishing, or transmitting private intimate images without consent is a non-bailable offense punishable with up to 3 years jail.
Governing Law:
Section 66E & 67A Information Technology Act, 2000 & Section 354C IPC / Section 77 BNS
Constitutional Articles:
Article 21 (Bodily Integrity & Privacy)
(Art 21 →)
Exact Words to Speak Calmly:
🛡️ Article 21 Shield
“Officer / Authority, with due respect, as per Section 66E & 67A Information Technology Act, 2000 & Section 354C IPC / Section 77 BNS, victims can report directly to the Cyber Crime Cell without shame or public exposure. This is constitutionally protected under Article 21 (Bodily Integrity & Privacy); kindly follow statutory due process and provide an official written record.”
What the Law Says
- • Victims can report directly to the Cyber Crime Cell without shame or public exposure.
- • Social media intermediaries are legally obligated under IT Rules 2021 to remove intimate non-consensual images within 24 hours of notification.
What to Say & Do Calmly (Step-by-Step)
- Do not delete evidence; save chat history, timestamps, and extortion demands.
- Submit hashes to StopNCII.org to proactively block re-uploads across Meta and web platforms.
- Report immediately at cybercrime.gov.in under the 'Report Women/Child Related Crime' portal.
Social Media
⚠️ ADMIN NOT LIABLE
🌐 All-India Central Act
Is a WhatsApp Group Admin criminally liable for objectionable messages posted by group members?
NO. High Courts have repeatedly held that Group Admins have no pre-censorship power and cannot be held vicariously liable for members' posts.
Governing Law:
Kishore Tarachand v. State of Maharashtra & Section 79 Information Technology Act (Intermediary Safe Harbor)
Exact Words to Speak Calmly:
🛡️ Article 19, 21 Shield
“Officer / Authority, with due respect, as per Kishore Tarachand v. State of Maharashtra & Section 79 Information Technology Act (Intermediary Safe Harbor), admin can only be held liable if they personally created, endorsed, or circulated the unlawful message. This is my fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) & Article 21; if any restriction applies, kindly provide the written statutory order.”
What the Law Says
- • Admin can only be held liable if they personally created, endorsed, or circulated the unlawful message.
- • Merely creating a group does not create vicarious criminal liability.
What to Say & Do Calmly (Step-by-Step)
- Remove members who share hate speech or copyright-violating content immediately.
- If police file an FIR against an admin, move the High Court under Section 482 CrPC / 528 BNSS to quash the FIR.
Property Equality
⚠️ EQUAL COPARCENARY
🌐 All-India Central Act
Do daughters have equal inheritance rights in ancestral property as sons?
YES. Supreme Court in Vineeta Sharma affirmed that daughters are coparceners by birth with rights equal to sons in ancestral property.
Governing Law:
Section 6, Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 & Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh Sharma (2020)
Exact Words to Speak Calmly:
🛡️ Article 14, 15 Shield
“Officer / Authority, with due respect, as per Section 6, Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 & Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh Sharma (2020), daughters possess equal birthrights in ancestral property regardless of whether their father was alive in 2005. Under Article 14 (Gender Equality) & Article 15(1), arbitrary action or discrimination is strictly barred; kindly proceed in accordance with written rules and provide a reasoned record.”
What the Law Says
- • Daughters possess equal birthrights in ancestral property regardless of whether their father was alive in 2005.
- • Married daughters retain their coparcenary rights in their parents' ancestral property unconditionally.
What to Say & Do Calmly (Step-by-Step)
- Obtain family tree genealogical records and ancestral land revenue documents (Khatauni/ROR).
- File a suit for partition and separate possession before the Civil Court if male relatives deny your legal share.