Section 225.   Postponement of issue of process.

(1) Any Magistrate, on receipt of a complaint of an offence of which he is
authorised to take cognizance or which has been made over to him under section 212, may,
if he thinks fit, and shall, in a case where the accused is residing at a place beyond the area
in which he exercises his jurisdiction, postpone the issue of process against the accused,
and either inquire into the case himself or direct an investigation to be made by a police
officer or by such other person as he thinks fit, for the purpose of deciding whether or not
there is sufficient ground for proceeding:
Provided that no such direction for investigation shall be made,—
(a) where it appears to the Magistrate that the offence complained of is triable
exclusively by the Court of Session; or
(b) where the complaint has not been made by a Court, unless the complainant
and the witnesses present (if any) have been examined on oath under section 223.
(2) In an inquiry under sub-section (1), the Magistrate may, if he thinks fit, take
evidence of witnesses on oath:
Provided that if it appears to the Magistrate that the offence complained of is triable
exclusively by the Court of Session, he shall call upon the complainant to produce all his
witnesses and examine them on oath.
(3) If an investigation under sub-section (1) is made by a person not being a police
officer, he shall have for that investigation all the powers conferred by this Sanhita on an
officer in-charge of a police station except the power to arrest without warrant.