As per the Constitution of India, every person who is arrested and detained in custody shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within a period of ________ hours of such arrest, excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of the magistrate.

Correct option is D

The correct answer is (D) 24.​

An arrested person should be produced before the nearest magistrate within 24 hours of arrest.

• Article 22 of the Indian constitution provides protection against arbitrary arrest and detention.
• These 24 hours are excluded from the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of the Magistrate.
• No such person shall be detained in custody beyond the said period without the authority of a Magistrate.  
• Preventive detention refers to taking one who has not committed a crime into custody by considering him as a threat to law and order.

Article 22(2):

• Clause (2) of Article 22 states that- "Every person who is arrested and detained in custody shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within a period of 24 hours".  
• Such arrest excludes the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of the magistrate.  
• No such person shall be detained in custody beyond the said period without the authority of a magistrate.
  

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Difference between preventive detention and an arrest:

• An 'arrest' is done when a person is charged with a crime. An arrested person is produced before a magistrate within the next 24 hours.  
• In the case of 'preventive detention', a person is detained as he/she is simply restricted from doing something that might deteriorate the law and order situation.  

The preventive detention laws made by the Parliament are:

• Preventive Detention Act, 1950. Expired in 1969.
• Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), 1971. Repealed in 1978.  
• Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA), 1974.
• National Security Act (NSA), 1980.
• Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act (PBMSECA), 1980.  
• Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), 1985. Repealed in 1995.
• Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PITNDPSA), 1988.
• Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), 2002. Repealed in 2004.