Section 42

Every summons to appear issued by a court under this Code shall be in writing and signed by a Magistrate or District Judge, as the case may be, or in the case of the High Court by a Judge of that Court or by the Registrar, and shall bear the seal of the court.[Forms 1 and 30.]

Such summons may be served by a police officer or by an officer of a Magistrate’s Court or District Court, and, if the summons is in connection with an offence under an Act which it is the duty of a Government department to enforce, by an officer of that Government department. The court issuing the summons may, if it sees fit, direct it to be served by any other person.

Every such summons shall remain in force until it is cancelled by the court or until the person summoned is discharged therefrom by a court.

When a summons cannot be served within such time as will give reasonable notice to the person summoned to attend the court on the date stated therein, the court may in writing substitute some later date for the date so stated.[41