Raveendran K & Anr, v. Excise Inspector Vadakara & Anr.

DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J. 1. Challenge in these appeals is to the judgment of a learned Single Judge of the Kerala High Court. Before the High Court Criminal Revision Petitions were filed questioning correctness of the judgment passed by learned Sessions Judge Kozhikode upholding the conviction of the re-vision petitioners for offence punishable under 'section 57 A (iii) of the Abkari Act, 1967, described as (Act 1 of 1077) because the same was passed by the then Maharaja of Cochin on the 5th day of August, 1902 corresponding to the 31st day of Karkadagom 1077 and was extended to the whole of Kera la as per Act 10 of 1967. Each was convicted by learned Assis-tant Sessions Judge, Vadakara an_d sentenced to rigorous im-prisonment for one year and to pay a fine ofRs.10,000/- each with default stipulation. Lakshmanan N., the revisional petitioner No. 2 in two of the revision petitions before the High Court and ,._ the petitioner in one of the petitions was the licensee of arrack t-shops bearing Nos. 1 to 16 of Vadakara Range. Preventive officer PW 1 attached to the Vadakara Excise Range along with Excise Guards inspected the god owns, and arrack shops of the licensee on 19.12.1988 and took samples for chemical examination. The samples were taken from the stocks of 6520 litres of arrack kept in 65 barrels, in the presence of the appel-lant No. 1. One of the samples collected from the godown was given to the licensee on proper acknowledgement. The sample ')-- of chemical examination as per the regional Chemical Exami,. nation Laboratory, Kozhikode, revealed the presence of Methyle alcohol, a noxious substance, the consumption of which is inju-rious to health. On the same day at another godown sample was collected where appellant Mohanan in Criminal Appeal No. 1265 of 2001 was the manager. During the pendency of the I appeals before this Court, the licensee died. The samples were taken in three bottles in each case. Samples labeled as A & B were taken by the officer while bottle C was given to the sales-man/manager as the case may be. Samples labeled A were sent for chemical analysis and the report is dated 25.1.1989. The presence of noxious substance was found. On 19.5.1989 the compla!nt was filed.

¶2The stand of the accused persons was that the liquor in question was procured from the distillery Chittore Co-opera-tive Sugar Mill (in short the 'Chiccopse'). It was stated that ear-lier cases were instituted against Chiccopse and it was found that the role of Chiccopse in the supply of illicit liquor cannot be ruled out. Various documents were relied upon for this purpose. The courts below did not accept ~he stand and found the ac-cused persons guilty and sentenced them as aforestated. l-t- ·3. In support of the appeals learned counsel for the appel-lant submitted that it is not the case of the prosecution that the licencee had got the liquor in question from any source other f-- than Chiccopse. It was submitted that the First Information Re-port was also lodged on the basis of the Board of Revenue's letter dated 13.1.1999 and the charge sheet has also been filed against officials of Chiccopse.

¶4Learned counsel for the State on the other hand submit-ted that burden of proof under Section 57(1) or (2) of Section 57 A is on the licensee to prove that he has not mixed or permit-ted to be mixed or as the case may be omitted to take a rea-i' sonable precaution to prevent the mixing of any substance re-

ferred to in the provision with any liquor or intoxicated drug. Simi-lar is the provision in relation to possession of liquor or intoxi-eating drugs with which some other substance is mixed. Sec-tions 57 and 57 A of the Act read as follows:

"57. For adulteration, etc., by licensed vendor or manufacturer:- Whoever being the holder of a licence for the sale or manufacture of liquor or of any intoxicating drug under this Act, _j,.

(a) mixes or permits to be mixed with the liquor or

intoxicating drug, sold or manufactured by him, any drug, other than a noxious drug] or any foreign ingredient likely to add to its actual or apparent intoxicating quality or strength, or any article prohibited 3[other than an article which the Government shall deem to be noxious] by any rule made under section 29, clause (k), when such admixture shall not amount to the offence of adulteration under Section 272 of -I the Indian Penal Code(Substituted for the words and

figures "Section 248 of the Cochin Penal Code" by Section 32(a) of Act 10 of 1967; or (b) sells or keeps or exposes for sale as foreign liquor,

liquor which he knows or has reason to believe to be country liquor; or (c) marks the cork of any bottle, case, package o~r other

receptacle containing country liquor, or uses any bottle, case, package or other receptacle containing country liquor with any mark thereon on the cork

thereof with the intention of causing it to be believed that such bottle, case, package or other receptacle contains foreign liquor when such act shall not amount to the offence of '[applying a false trade mark under section 78 of the Trade and Merchandise Marks Act, 1958]; or (d) sells or keeps or exposes for sale any country liquor

in a bottle, case, package or other receptacle with any mark thereon or on the cork thereof with the intention of causing it to be believed that such bottle, case, package or other receptacle contains foreign liquor, when such act shall not amount to the offence of selling goods to which a false trade mark or false trade descriptio'n is applied under Section 79 of the Trade and Merchandise Marks Act, 1958(substituted for the words and figures "marked with a counterfeit ·trade mark under Section 466 of the Cochin Penal .... Code by S_ection 32 ( c ) of Act 10 of 1967) ;

shall on conviction before a competent court, be punished for ~acfl such offence, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees, or with both (The words "on conviction before a Magistrate, be punished for each such offence, [with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to three .,.__ thousand rupees, or with both." substituted by Act 16 of 1997, w.e.f. 3-6-1997).

57 A For adulteration of liquor or intoxicating drug with noxious substances, etc:- (1) Whoever mixes or permits to be mixed any noxious substance or any substance which is likely to endanger human life or to cause grievous hurt to hunian beings, with any liquor or intoxicating drug shall, on conviction, be punishable

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(i) if, as a result of such act, grievous hurt is caused t_o

any person, witl:l imprisonment for a term which shall r-

not be less than two years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, and with fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees;

(ii) if, as a result of such act, d~ath is caused to any

person, with death or imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, and with fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees;

(iii) in any other case, with imprisonment for a term which

shall not be less than one year, but which may extend to ten years, and with fine which may extend to twenty- . five thousand rupees.

Explanation:- For the purpose of this section and section 578, the expression "grievous hurt" shall have the same meaning as in section 320 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Central Act 45 of 1860).

lt·

(2) Whoever omits to take reasonable precautions to prevent the mixing of any noxious substance or any substance which is likely to endanger human life or to cause grievous hurt to human beings, with any liquor or intoxicating drug shall, on conviction, be punishable, (i) if as a result of such omission, grievous hurt is

caused to any person, with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than two years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, and with fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees;

(ii) if as a result of such omission, death is caused to

any person, with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, and with fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees;

(iii) in any other case, with imprisonment for a term which

shall not be less than one year but which may extend

to ten years, and with fine which may extend to twenty-five thousand rupees.

(3) Whoever possesses any liquor or intoxicating drug in which any substance referred to in sub-section (1) is mixed, knowing that s1;1ch substance is mixed w,ith such liquor or intoxicating drug shall, on conviction, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one ---~ year but which may extend to ten years, and with fine which may extend to twenty-five thousand rupees.

(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code-of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974), no person accused or convicted of an offence under subsectio·n (1) or sub-section (3) shall, if in custody, be released on bail or on his own bond, unless (a) the prosecution has been given an opportunity to

oppose the application such release, and -.,( (b) where the prosecution qpposes the application, the

court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he is not guilty of such offence. (5) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872)- (a) where a person is prosecuted for an offence under

sub-section (1) ors section ,2), the burden of proving that he ·has not mixed or permitted to mixed or, as 1-the case may be, omitted to take reasonable precautions to prevent the mixing of, any substance referred to in that sub-section with any liquor, intoxicating drug shall be on him;

(b) where a person is prosecuted for an offence under

sub-section (3) for being in possession of any liquor t-or intoxicating drug in which any substance refers to in sub-section (1) is mixed, the burden of proving that he did not know that such substance was mixed with such liquor or intoxicating drug shall be on him. -~ . .,

¶5As rightly submitted by learned counsel for the State, the burden of proof is on the licensee as is evident from sub Section (5) of Section 57 A. Even if it is accepted for the sake of argument that Chiccopse had any role to play, that does not absolve the appellar.ts from culpability under the Act. It is to be noted that while the appellants were selling the liquor in bottle they got it from C_hiccopse admittedly in barrels. Therefore the j stand of the appellants that the liquor was sold in the same form

is not correct.

¶6In view of the factual position indicated above, the ap-peal so far as the appellant No. 1 in each case is concerned, stands dismissed, while appeal. stands abated so far as the appellant No. 2 i.e. the licensee in each case because of his death. The appellant No. 1 in each case who were released on bail pursuant to order dated 7.12.2001 shall surrender to cus-tody forthwith to serve remainder of sentence.

CRIMINALAPPELLATE JURISDICTION: Criminal Appeal No. 1263 of 2001

From the final Judgment and Order dated 30.5.2001 of the High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam in Criminal Rev. Pet. No. 558 of 2000 (8)

WITH

Criminal Appeal Nos. 1264-1265 and 1266 of 2001 K. Rajeev for the Appellants.

G. Prakash for the Respondents.