Section 24. Confiscation of petroleum and receptacles

CHAPTER III PENALTIES AND PROCEDURE 23. General penalty for offences under this Act.— (1) Whoever — (a) in contravention of any of the provisions of Chapter I or of any of the rules made thereunder, imports, transports, stores, produces, refines or blends any petroleum, or 1. Subs. by the A.O. 1937, for "Governor-General-in-Council". (b) contravenes any rule made under section 4 or section 5, or 1 [(c) being the holder or a licence issued under section 4 or a person for the time being placed by the holder of such licence in control or in charge of any place where petroleum is being imported or stored, or is under transport, contravenes any condition of such licence or suffers any condition of such licence to be contravened, or] (d) being for the time being in control or in charge of any place where petroleum is being imported, stored, produced, refined or blended or is under transport, refuses or neglects to show to any officer authorised under section 13 any receptacle, plant or appliance used in such place in connection with petroleum, or in any way obstructs or fails to render reasonable assistance to such officer during an inspection, or (e) being for the time being in control or in charge of any place where petroleum is being imported, transported, stored, produced, refined or blended, refuses or neglects to show to any officer authorised under section 14 any petroleum in such place, or to give him such assistance as he may require for the inspection of such petroleum, or refuses to allow him to take samples of the petroleum, or (f) being required, under section 27, to give information of an accident, fails to give such information as so required by that section, shall be punishable[2] [with simple imprisonment which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both]. (2) If any person, having been convicted of an offence punishable under sub-section (1), is again guilty of any offence punishable under that sub-section, he shall be punishable for every such subsequent offence[2] [with simple imprisonment which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both]. 24. Confiscation of petroleum and receptacles.— (1) In any case in which an offence under clause (a) or clause (b) or clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 23 has been committed, the convicting — Magistrate may direct that (a) the petroleum in respect of which the offence has been committed, or (b) where the offender is convicted of importing, transporting or storing petroleum exceeding the quantity he is permitted to import, transport or store, as the case may be, the whole of the petroleum in respect of which the offence was committed, shall, together with the receptacles in which it is contained, be confiscated. (2) This power may also be exercised by the High Court in the exercise of its appellate or revisional powers.