Section 84: Irregular arrest and confinement

(1) A person subject to service law under this Act who, when any other person subject to this Act is under arrest-
(a) unreasonably delays the taking of such steps as it is his duty to take-
(i) for investigating the allegations against that other person; or
(ii) for having the allegation against that other person investigated by his commanding officer or an appropriate superior authority or, as the case may be, tried by a court-martial; or
(b) fails to release or effect the release of that other person when it is his duty to do so,
is guilty of an offence under this section.
(2) A person subject to service law under this Act who, having committed a person (in this section referred to as "the prisoner") to the custody of any other person to whom he is authorised to commit the person, fails, without reasonable cause to deliver-
(a) at the time of committal; or
(b) if it is not practicable so to do, at the time of the committal, or within twenty-four hours thereafter,
to a person, to whose custody the prisoner was committed, a report in writing signed by himself of the offence which the prisoner is alleged to have committed, is guilty of an offence under this section.
(3) Where a person is committed to the charge of a person subject to service law under this Act who is in command of a guard, then if without reasonable cause that person does not as soon as he is relieved from his guard and any further duty, or, if he is not sooner relieved, within twenty-four hours after the committal, give to the officer to whom it is his duty to report-
(a) a written statement containing so far as is known to him, the prisoner's name and alleged offence, the name and rank or other description of the officer or other person who alleged that the prisoner had committed the offence; and
(b) the report required by subsection (2) of this section if he has already received it,
he is guilty of an offence under this section.
(4) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable, on conviction by a court-martial, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or any less punishment provided by this Act.