Can police check my phone?

Police need a warrant or your consent to check your phone.

Your phone is protected under the Right to Privacy (Article 21). Police cannot randomly search your phone without a valid search warrant from a magistrate, unless you are arrested for a cognizable offence. Even during arrest, they cannot browse through your entire phone without authorization. If police ask to check your phone without a warrant, you can politely refuse. However, during investigation of a serious crime with a court order, they can seize and examine your phone.

• Article 21 — Right to Privacy
• BNSS Section 96 — Search warrant
• IT Act Section 69 — Interception by government (requires written order)
• K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017) — Right to Privacy is fundamental right