CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Criminal Appeal No. 10 of 1974.
Appeal by Special Leave from the Judgment and Order dated 22-11-1973 of the Karnataka High Court in Criminal Appeal No. 221/73
S. S. Javali and B. P. Singh for the Appellant.
M. Veerappa and J. R. Dass for the Respondent.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
In this appeal by Special Leave the appellant has been convicted under section 34 of the Mysore Excise Act and sentenced to three months’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 100/- for being in possession of 48 bottles of liquor which were recovered from a car which was being driven by the appellant. Mr. Javali appearing for the appellant has raised a short point before us. He has submitted that the Inspector of Excise who searched the car along with the panchas had no jurisdiction to do so because he did so without complying with
the provisions of section 54 of the Excise Act. In our opinion, the contention is well-founded and must prevail, Section 53 runs thus:
"If a Magistrate, upon information and after such
inquiry (if any) as he thinks necessary, has reasons to
believe that an offence under section 32, section 33,
section 34, section 36 or section 37 has been, is being
or is likely to be committed, he may issue a warrant-
(a) for the search of any place in which he has
reason to believe, that any intoxicant still, utensil,
implement, apparatus or materials which are used for
the commission of such offence or in respect of which
such has been, is being, or is likely to be, committed,
are kept or concealed, and
(b) for the arrest of any person whom he has
reason to believe to have been, to be, or to be likely
to be engaged in the commission of any such offence."
Thus this section relates to a contingency where the Statute enjoins that any inspector before searching a place must obtain a warrant from the magistrate. Section 54 is a special provision which arises in urgent cases where it may not be possible for the officer concerned to get a warrant from the Magistrate. Section 54 runs thus:
"Whenever the Excise Commissioner or a Deputy
Commissioner or any police officer not below the rank
of an officer uncharge of a police station or any
Excise Officer not below such rank as may be prescribed
has reason to believe that an offence under section 32,
section 33, section 34, section 36, or section 37 has
been, is being, or is likely to be committed, and that
a search warrant cannot be obtained without affording
the offender an opportunity of escape or of concealing
evidence of the offence, he may after recording the
grounds of his belief-
(a) at any time by day or by night enter and
search any place and seize anything found
therein which he has reason to believe to be
liable to confiscation under this Act, and
(b) detain and search and, if he thinks proper,
arrest any person found in such place whom he
has reason to believe to be guilty of such
offence as aforesaid."
In the instant case, it is admitted that the inspector who searched the car of the appellant had not made any record of any ground on the basis
the Act, was being committed before proceeding to search the car and thus the provisions of section 54 were not at all complied with.
This, therefore, renders the entire search without jurisdiction and as a logical corollary, vitiates the conviction. We feel that both sections 53 and 54 contain valuable safeguards for the liberty of the citizen in order to protect them from ill-founded or frivolous prosecution or harassment. The point was taken before the High Court which appears to have brushed aside this legal lacuna without making any real attempt to analyses the effect of the provisions of section 53 and 54. The High Court observed that these two sections were wholly irrelavant. With due respect, we are unable to approve of such a cryptic approach to a legal question which is of far reaching consequences. It was, however, suggested that the word "place" would not include the car, but the definition of the word "place" under the Act clearly includes vehicle which would include a car. Thus the ground on which the argument of the petitioner has been rejected by the High Court cannot be sustained by us. We are satisfied that there has been a direct noncompliance of the provisions of section 54 which renders the search completely without jurisdiction. In this view of the matter, the appeal is allowed, the conviction and sentence passed on the appellant is set aside and he is acquitted of the charges framed against him. M.R Appeal allowed.