14. Magistrate or police officer may himself enter and search
Feedback & supportA Magistrate or a police officer not below the rank of assistant superintendent may himself do what he may under sections 11 and 12 authorise a police officer to do whenever the Magistrate or police officer not below the rank of assistant superintendent is competent to issue a warrant or written authority under those sections respectively and also in any of the following cases:
if any person has, within the preceding 6 months, been convicted of having kept or used as a common betting house the place proposed to be entered;
common betting house
“common betting house” means —(a)any place kept or used for betting or wagering on any event or contingency of or relating to any horse‑race or other sporting event to which the public or any class of the public has or may have access;(b)any place kept or used for habitual betting or wagering on any such event or contingency as aforesaid, whether the public has, or may have, access thereto or not; and(c)any place used by a bookmaker for the purpose of receiving or negotiating bets or wagers on any such event or contingency as aforesaid whether the bets or wagers reach the bookmaker by the hand of the person placing the bet or his agent or the bookmaker’s agent or through the telephone or by post or by telegram or by any other means;
if the place proposed to be entered is occupied by a club or society which has not been exempted under section 22 and he has reason to believe that betting or wagering on horse‑races, fights, games or sports is frequently carried on there;
place
“place” means any house, office, room or building, and any place or spot, whether open or enclosed, and includes a ship, boat, or other vessel whether afloat or not, and any vehicle;
if he has personal knowledge of such facts and circumstances as satisfy him that there are sufficient grounds for a search under section 11;
if he receives the required information orally under such circumstances that the object of the search would in his opinion be defeated by the delay necessary for reducing the information to writing to enable a search warrant or written authority to be issued under section 11(1).