14. Confiscation of package.
14. Confiscation of package.—Any package of cigarettes or any other tobacco products or any advertisement material of cigarettes or any other tobacco products, in respect of which any provision of this Act has been or is being contravened, shall be liable to be confiscated :
Provided that, where it is established to the satisfaction of the court adjudging the confiscation that the person in whose possession, power or control any such package of cigarettes or any other tobacco products is found, is not responsible for the contravention of the provisions of this Act, the court may, instead of making an order for the confiscation of such package, make such other order authorised by this Act against the person guilty of the breach of the provisions of this Act as it may think fit.
| Other Contents of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 |
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| Sections 1 to 13 Sections 14 to 33 and Schedule |
15. Power to give option to pay costs in lieu of confiscation.
15. Power to give option to pay costs in lieu of confiscation.—(1) Whenever any confiscation of any package of cigarettes or any other tobacco products is authorised by this Act, the court adjudging it may, subject to such conditions as may be specified in the order adjudging the confiscation, give to the owner thereof an option to pay, in lieu of confiscation, costs which shall be equal to the value of the goods confiscated.
(2) On payment of the costs ordered by the court, the seized packages shall be returned to the person from whom they were seized on condition that such person shall, before making any distribution, sale or supply of such packages of cigarettes or other tobacco products, get the specified warning and indication of nicotine and tar contents incorporated on each such package.
16. Confiscation not to interfere with other punishments.
16. Confiscation not to interfere with other punishments.—No confiscation made, costs ordered to be paid under this Act shall prevent the infliction of any punishment to which the person affected thereby is liable under the provisions of this Act or under any other law.
17. Adjudication.
17. Adjudication.—Any confiscation of cigarettes or any other tobacco products may be adjudged or costs may be ordered to be paid,—
(a) without any limit, by the principal civil court of original jurisdiction within the local limits of whose jurisdiction such confiscation has been made, costs have been ordered to be paid,
(b) subject to such limits as may be specified by the Central Government in this behalf, by such other court, not below a civil court having pecuniary jurisdiction exceeding Rupees Five thousand, as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, authorise in this behalf.
18. Giving opportunity to the owner of seized packages.
18. Giving opportunity to the owner of seized packages.—(1) No order adjudging confiscation or directing payment of costs shall be made unless the owner or person in possession of the package of cigarettes or any other tobacco products has been given a notice in writing informing him of the grounds on which it is proposed to confiscate such package, and giving him a reasonable opportunity of making a representation in writing, within such reasonable time as may be specified in the notice, against the confiscation mentioned therein, and, if he so desires, of being heard personally or through a representative in the matter :
Provided that, where no such notice is given within a period of ninety days from the date of the seizure of the package of cigarettes or of any other tobacco products, such package shall be returned, after the expiry of that period, to the owner or the person from whose possession it was seized.
(2) Save as otherwise provided in sub-section (1), the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), shall, as far as may be, apply to every proceeding referred to in sub-section (1).
19. Appeal.
19. Appeal.—(1) Any person, aggrieved by any decision of the court adjudging a confiscation, ordering the payment of costs, may prefer an appeal to the court to which an appeal lies from the decision of such court.
(2) The appellate court may, after giving to the appellant an opportunity of being heard, pass such order as it thinks fit confirming, modifying or reversing the decision or order appealed against or may send back the case with such directions as it may think fit for a fresh decision or adjudication, as the case may be, after taking additional evidence, if necessary :
Provided that an order enhancing any fine in lieu of confiscation or confiscating of goods of greater value shall not be made under this section unless the appellant has had an opportunity of making a representation and, if he so desires, of being heard in person or through a representative in his defence.
(3) No further appeal shall lie against the order of the court of appeal.
20. Punishment for failure to give specified warning and nicotine and tar contents.
20. Punishment for failure to give specified warning and nicotine and tar contents.—(1) Any person who produces or manufactures cigarettes or tobacco products, which do not contain, either on the package or on their label, the specified warning and the nicotine and tar contents, shall in the case of first conviction be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both, and for the second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years and with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees.
(2) Any person who sells or distributes cigarettes or tobacco products which do not contain either on the package or on their label, the specified warning and the nicotine and tar contents shall in the case of first conviction be punishable with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both, and, for the second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years and with fine which may extend to three thousand rupees.
21. Punishment for smoking in certain places.
21. Punishment for smoking in certain places.—(1) Whoever contravenes the provisions of Section 4 shall be punishable with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees.
(2) An offence under this section shall be compoundable and shall be tried summarily in accordance with the procedure provided for summary trials in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974).
22. Punishment for advertisement of cigarettes and tobacco products.
22. Punishment for advertisement of cigarettes and tobacco products.—Whoever contravenes the provision of Section 5 shall, on conviction, be punishable—
(a) in the case of first conviction, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees or with both, and
(b) in the case of second or subsequent conviction with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years and with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees.
23. Forfeiture of advertisement and advertisement material.
23. Forfeiture of advertisement and advertisement material.—Where any person has been convicted under this Act for the contravention of the provision of Section 5, the advertisement and the advertisement material for cigarettes and other tobacco products may be forfeited to the Government and such advertisement and advertisement material shall be disposed of in such manner as may be prescribed by rules made under this Act.
24. Punishment for sale of cigarettes or any other tobacco products in certain places or to persons below the age of eighteen years.
24. Punishment for sale of cigarettes or any other tobacco products in certain places or to persons below the age of eighteen years.—(1) Any person who contravenes the provisions of Section 6 shall be guilty of an offence under this Act and shall be punishable with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees.
(2) All offences under this section shall be compoundable and shall be tried summarily in accordance with the procedure provided for summary trials in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974).
25. Prevention, detention and place of trial of offences under Sections 4 and 6.
25. Prevention, detention and place of trial of offences under Sections 4 and 6.—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, the Central Government or the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, authorise one or more persons who shall be competent to act under this Act :
Provided that the person so authorised may, if he has reasonable ground for believing that any person has committed an offence under Section 4 or Section 6, may detain such person unless the accused person furnishes his name and address, and otherwise satisfies the officer detaining him that he will duly answer any summons or other proceedings which may be taken against him.
(2) Any person detained under sub-section (1) shall forthwith be taken before Magistrate to be dealt with according to law.
(3) Any person committing an offence under Section 4 or Section 6 shall be triable for such offence in any place in which he may be or which the State Government may notify in this behalf, as well as in any other place in which he is liable to be tried under any law for the time being in force.
(4) Every notification issued under sub-sections (1) and (3) shall be published in the Official Gazette, and a copy thereof shall be exhibited for information to the public in some conspicuous place or places as the State Government may direct.
(5) Every person authorised under sub-section (1) shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).
26. Offences by companies.
26. Offences by companies.—(1) Where an offence under this Act has been committed by a company, every person who, at the time the offence was committed, was in charge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company, as well as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly :
Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to any punishment, if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he had exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where any offence under this Act has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this section,—
(a) “company” means a body corporate and includes a firm or other association of individuals; and
(b) “director”, in relation to a firm, means a partner in the firm.
27. Offences to be bailable.
27. Offences to be bailable.—Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), an offence punishable under this Act shall be bailable.
28. Composition of offences.
28. Composition of offences.—(1) Any offence committed under Section 4 or Section 6 may either before or after the institution of the prosecution be compounded by such officer authorised by Central Government or State Government and for an amount which may not exceed two hundred rupees.
(2) Where an offence has been compounded under sub-section (1), the offender, if in custody, shall be discharged and no further proceedings shall be taken against him in respect of such offence.
29. Protection of action taken in good faith.
29. Protection of action taken in good faith.—No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against the Central Government or any State Government or any officer of the Central Government or any State Government for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act.
30. Power to add any tobacco products in the Schedule.
30. Power to add any tobacco products in the Schedule.—The Central Government, after giving by notification in the Official Gazette, not less than three months' notice of its intention so to do, may, by like notification, add any other tobacco product in respect of which it is of opinion that advertisements are to be prohibited and its production, supply and distribution is required to be regulated under this Act, and thereupon the Schedule shall in its application to such products be deemed to be amended accordingly.
31. Power of Central Government to make rules.
31. Power of Central Government to make rules.—(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules to carry out the provisions of this Act.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:—
(a) specify the form and manner in which warning shall be given in respect of cigarettes or other tobacco products under clause (o) of Section 3;
(b) specify the maximum permissible nicotine and tar contents in cigarettes or other tobacco products under the proviso to sub-section (5) of Section 7;
(c) specify the manner in which the specified warning shall be inscribed on each package of cigarettes or other tobacco products or its label under sub-section (2) of Section 8;
(d) specify the height of the letter or figure or both to be used in specified warning or to indicate the nicotine and tar contents in cigarettes or other tobacco products under Section 10;
(e) provide for the manner in which entry into and search of any premises is to be conducted and the manner in which the seizure of any package of cigarettes or other tobacco products shall be made and the manner in which seizure list shall be prepared and delivered to the person from whose custody any package of cigarettes or other tobacco products has been seized;
(f) provide for any other matter which is required to be, or may be, prescribed.
(3) Every rule made under this Act and every notification made under Section 30 shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule or notification or both Houses agree that the rule or notification should not be made, the rule or notification shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule or notification.
32. Act not apply to cigarettes or other tobacco products which are exported.
32. Act not apply to cigarettes or other tobacco products which are exported.—Nothing contained in this Act shall apply to any cigarette or other tobacco products or package of cigarettes or other tobacco products which are exported :
Provided that nothing in this section shall be deemed to authorise the export of any package of cigarettes or other tobacco products, not containing the specified warning and indication of nicotine and tar contents to any country if the law in force in that country requires that the same or similar warning and nicotine and tar contents shall be specified on each package of cigarettes or other tobacco products.
Explanation.—For the purpose of this section, any cigarette or other tobacco products or package of cigarettes or other tobacco products shall be deemed to be exported before the commencement of this Act, if the necessary steps for export have already been taken notwithstanding that the actual export has not taken place.
33. Repeal and savings.
33. Repeal and savings.—(1) The Cigarettes (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1975 (49 of 1975), is hereby repealed.
(2) Notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken under the provisions of the aforesaid Act, shall, insofar as such thing or action is not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, be deemed to have been done or taken under the provisions of this Act as if the said provisions were in force when such thing was done or such action was taken and shall continue in force accordingly until superseded by anything done or any action taken under this Act.
The Schedule
THE SCHEDULE
[See Section 2(p)]
1. Cigarettes
2. Cigars
3. Cheroots
4. Beedis
5. Cigarette tobacco, pipe tobacco and hookah tobacco
6. Chewing tobacco
7. Snuff
8. Pan masala or any chewing material having tobacco as one of its ingredients (by whatever name called)
9. Gutka
10. Tooth powder containing tobacco
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