Subramaniam Chettiar v. Inspector, Civil Supplies Criminal Investigations Department, Tiruchirapalli
1988-12-16
ARUNACHALAM
body1988
DigiLaw.ai
Judgment The appellant Subramaniam Chettiar was tried before the Special Judge, Essential Commodities Act cases, Pudukkottai in S.T.C. No. 9 of 1984, for violation of C1.3 of the Cement (Quality Control) Order, 1962, which is an offence punishable under Sec.7(1)(a)(ii) of the Essential Commodities Act The trial Court found the appellant guilty as charged, convicted and sentenced him to undergo rigorous imprisonment for four months and also to pay a fine of Rs.500 in default to undergo two months R.I. 2. The brief facts which led to the prosecution can be narrated as follows: P.W.5, Thiru Kalyanam, Inspector of Police, Civil Supplies, C.I.D., Tiruchirapalli, inspected premises No.24/6, Nawab Thottam, Woriyur at 5 P.M., on 23.4.1983 and found one Duraisami and Rajendran stitching separately two cement bags in two different rooms. P.W.5 inspected the premises on the information that adulterated cement was being sold there. He seized from the possession of Duraisami 13 bags of cement and also seized nine bags of cement from the possession of Rajendran. Another half a bag of cement which was lying in the verandah of the premises was also seized. The seizures were made under a mahazar Ex.P4, attested by P.W.3, who is the neighbouring shop keeper in the same building. 3. To connect the appellant with this crime it is the prosecution case that he had taken to two rooms from where the cement had been seized on tenancy from P.W.2, Thiru Loganathan, the owner of the building, P.W.1 Thiru Nachimuthu is a relation of the appellant who is said to have persuaded P.W.2 to let the two rooms to the appellant on a monthly rental basis. P.W.3, a co-tenant of the appellant seeks to implicate him by deposing that he had purchased a bag of cement from the appellant earlier for repairing the flooring of his company. 4. P.W.5 sent the seized cement to the trial Court for being forwarded for chemical analysis to find out, whether the seized cement conformed to the standards prescribed in the Cement (Quality Control) Order. Ex.P4, is the report sent by the Joint Director of Industries and Commerce which indicates that analysis had been conducted, referable to specification of I.S.269-76 and 1.S.1489-76, relating to Portland Cement and Portland Pozzolana Cement.
Ex.P4, is the report sent by the Joint Director of Industries and Commerce which indicates that analysis had been conducted, referable to specification of I.S.269-76 and 1.S.1489-76, relating to Portland Cement and Portland Pozzolana Cement. The report shows that the analysis was done in the Chemical Testing and Analytical Laboratory, Industrial Estate, Guindy, which appears to be attached to the Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu. 5. Since the report Ex.P4 stated that the sample was adulterated cement, prosecution was launched against the appellant, Duraisami and Rajendran. In view of the fact that Duraisami and Rajendran were absconding, the case against them was split up and the trial Court proceeded against the appellant in S.T.C.No.9 of 1984, leading to his conviction and sentence. Aggrieved by the judgment of the trial Court, this appeal has been preferred. 6. Mr.G.K.Selvarajan, appearing for the appellant contended that since the sample had been tested only for two varieties, leaving rest of the right varieties prescribed in the Cement (Quality Control) Order a conviction will not be feasible, because the prosecution cannot pick and choose one or two varieties, for test when there was no material on record about the nature, substance or quality of the cement regarding the variety it purported or represented to be. The second ground urged is that there was no proper proof that the appellant was the tenant under P.W.2 and hence, possession of the cement bags cannot be traced in the appellant. The third ground is that Ex.P4 will not be admissible in evidence without the examination of the Joint Director of Industries and Commerce who is the author of the report. It is doubtful whether Ex.P4 can be marked without the examination of its author under Sec.293 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. 7. I have heard Thiru Kannappa Rajendran appearing for the State on all these aspects. 8. I find sufficient force in the first contention of the learned counsel for the appellant. It is very clear that the sample has been tested only for specification I.S.269-76 for Portland Cement and I.S.1489-76 for Portland Pozzolana Cement. Before it could be concluded that the cement was not of the prescribed standard, the prosecution will have to explain that the seizure did not come within the 10 standards mentioned in C1.2(b) of the Cement (Quality Control) Order, 1962.
Before it could be concluded that the cement was not of the prescribed standard, the prosecution will have to explain that the seizure did not come within the 10 standards mentioned in C1.2(b) of the Cement (Quality Control) Order, 1962. It may be possible to restrict with any particular test or one or more of them, when there is evidence in the case as to what variety the cement belonged or what it was purported or represented to be. In this case, there is absolutely no evidence as to the nature and quality of cement, which was seized, either in the oral evidence or in the seizure mahazar. Therefore, it was incumbent to have all the 10 tests conducted before the launching of the prosecution for otherwise, it will not be possible to convict the appellant on the basis of a truncated report of the analyst. 9. The second contention of the learned counsel for the appellant has also sufficient strength. P.W.2, the landlord of the premises, has not stated during investigation, as admitted by P.W.5, that the appellant had taken the two rooms on a rental basis one year prior to the incident. P.W.2 has also admitted that there is no tenancy agreement and he had also not issued any receipt for the payment of rent. I am of the view that the admission of P.W.2 coupled with his statement during investigation about the tenancy of the appellant under him erases the basis or foundation for this prosecution. The appellant is bound to succeed on this point as well. 10. Cement (Quality Control) Order, 1962 does not contain any provision to make the report of the analyst, the Joint Director of Industries and Commerce in this case, admissible in evidence, without his being examined in Court. However, a reference to Sec.293 of the Code of Criminal Procedure will have to be made to find out if Ex.P4 could be admitted in evidence without the examination of the Joint Director of Industries and Commerce. Sec.293, Sub-cl.(c) of the Criminal Procedure Code permits receipt in evidence the report of the Director, Deputy Director or Assistant Director of a Central Forensic Laboratory or State Forensic Laboratory without the examination of the author of report concerned, but before that could be done, there must be proof that the Chemical Testing and Analytical Laboratory mentioned in Ex.P4 is a State Forensic Science Laboratory.
There is no evidence on this aspect. It may or may not be that this Chemical Testing and Analytical Laboratory is a State Forensic Science Laboratory. The prosecution must have either let in evidence on this aspect or put the Joint Director of Industries and Commerce, the author of Ex.P4, in the witness box. However, I am not basing my conclusions in this appeal on the last ground, though I find sufficient force in this conviction as well. 11. In view of the reasoning aforementioned, the appeal is bound to succeed. The appeal is allowed, the conviction and sentence imposed by the trial Court on the appellant are set aside and he is acquitted. Fine, if any, paid shall be refunded. B.S. ----- Appeal allowed.