72. Duty of owners and occupiers of land and other persons to give notice of unlicensed manufacture.
- Whenever any [intoxicant] [Substituted by paragraph 3 of, and Schedule IV to, the Government of India (Adaptation of Indian Laws) Order, 1937 for the words excisable article.] is manufactured, or any hemp plant (Cannabis sativa) [from which an intoxicating drug can be manufactured or produced] [Inserted by section 2(7) of the West Bengal Finance Act, 1997 (West Bengal Act No. 5 of 1997).] is cultivated, or any portion of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa) from which an intoxicating drug can be manufactured or produced is collected, on any land [or in any but or building] [Inserted by section 52(1) of the Bengal Excise (Amendment) Act, 1965 (West Bengal Act 39 of 1965).] in contravention of this Act, all owners and occupiers of such land [or of such but or building, as the case may be] [Inserted by section 52(2), ibid.], and their agents, and all panchayats, village-headmen, patwaris, sarbarakars, chaukidars and dafadars of the village [in which such land, but or building may be situated] [Inserted by section 52(3), ibid.],shall, in the absence of reasonable excuse, be bound to give notice of the fact to a Magistrate or an Officer of the Excise, Police or Land-revenue Department, as soon as the fact comes to their knowledge.
