Page:The Indian Penal Code - Morgan and MacPherson - 1863.djvu/16

 6 CHAPTEE I. Many offences^ such as Forgery, Offences relating to Coiu and Government Stamps, Offences against the State, &c., may be committed beyond the limits of the British Territories, by per- sons subject to our laws, and it is necessary to provide for their punishment. It was a principle of the old Regulations to make punishable, by trial within the East India Company^s territories, subjects of the Government committing crimes beyond the frontier, whether apprehended within or without the frontier. Those Regulations which were specially confined to native sub- jects and aliens living for six months within British territories, were repealed by Act I. of 1849, which enacts (Section 2) that " All subjects of the British Government, and also all persons in the Civil or Military Service of the said Government, while actu- ally in such service, and for six months afterwards, and also all persons who shall have dwelt for six months within the British Territories under the Government of the East India Company, subject to the laws of the said Territories, who shall be appre- hended within the said Territories, or delivered into the custody of a Magistrate within the said Territories, wherever appre- hended, shall be amenable to the law for all offsnces committed by them within the Territory of any Foreign Prince or State ; and may be bailed or committed for trial as hereafter provided, on the like evidence as would Warrant their being held to bail or committed for the same offence, if it had been committed within the British Territories/' Persons liable by this law to be tried by our Courts must be '^ dealt witV according to the provisions of this Code. The Act I. of 1849 applies to all subjects of Her Majesty and to persons who, by reason of having taken service under the Government or dwelt within the British Territories for six months, are considered as subject for a time to our laws. It is by dwelling for six months under British law, that a person becomes bound by that law and amenable to our Courts for an offence committed beyond the frontier. A man may come to India upon a visit, to travel, to settle a particular business or the like, and the special purpose for which he