Section VII. Any Officer of Customs or Land Revenue, vested with power to carry into effect the provisions of thi

VII. Any Officer of Customs or Land Revenue, vested with power to carry into effect the provisions of this Act, who, under cover thereof, searches or causes to be searched any dwelling-house, ware-house, or other enclosed place, without reasonable grounds of suspicion that contraband Salt is there manufactured or stored, shall, upon conviction before the Magistrate within whose jurisdiction the offence may have been committed, be punished with fine not exceeding five hundred rupees, which fine, or any portion thereof, may be paid over to the party aggrieved, and, in default of payment of such fine, with imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months; and any person wilfully and maliciously giving false information, and so causing a search to be made in any dwelling-house, ware-house, or other enclosed place, to the injury or vexation of the owners, occupants, or any other person or persons whatsoever, shall, on conviction before a Magistrate, be liable to the same penalty and also to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years, with or without hard labor.