NARAYAN RAO vs THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH

The Supreme Court held that the provisions of Section 173(4) and Section 207A(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure are directory rather than mandatory. Non-compliance with these provisions does not invalidate commitment proceedings or trials unless it can be shown to have prejudiced the accused's defense. In this case, the omission of the Police Officer to furnish necessary copies did not cause any prejudice to the accused, thus the conviction under Section 302 IPC was upheld as a mere irregularity curable under Section 537 of the Code.