{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-act-1980/section-51",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-act-1980/section-51.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1980/43",
  "legislation_title": "Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-act-1980",
  "path": "section/51",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "51",
  "heading": "Issue of summons on complaint",
  "text": "Where a complaint relating to a person is made to a justice of the peace, the justice of the peace may issue a summons to the person requiring him to appear before a magistrates' court to answer to the complaint.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 51 substituted (1.4.2005) by Courts Act 2003 (c. 39), ss. 47(1), 110; S.I. 2005/910, art. 3(q)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 51 applied (with modifications) (6.10.2025) by The Criminal Procedure Rules 2025 (S.I. 2025/909), rule 48.16"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/43/section/51",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-31T10:26:47.197891+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}