Union of India - Act
The Medicinal And Toilet Preparations (Excise Duties) Act, 1955
UNION OF INDIA
India
India
The Medicinal And Toilet Preparations (Excise Duties) Act, 1955
Act 16 of 1955
- Published on 27 April 1955
- Commenced on 27 April 1955
- [This is the version of this document from 27 April 1955.]
- [Note: The original publication document is not available and this content could not be verified.]
15.
/732Statement of Objects and Reasons.-By virtue of Entry 40 in List II in the Seventh Schedule to the Government of India Act, 1935 medicinal and toilet preparations containing alcohol, etc., where subject to Provincial excise duties. Each Provincial Government fixed its own rates of duty and followed its own procedure to regulate the imports from and exports to other Provinces of such preparations, so that the industry manufacturing these preparations had to contend with several handicaps imposed by such diversities in rates and procedure. In order to secure uniformity the entry relating to excise duty on medicinal and toilet preparations containing alcohol, etc., were transferred under the Constitution from the State list to the Union List.2. The Present Bill is intended to implement this provision in the Constitution, and proposes uniform rates of excise duty and a uniform procedure for the collection thereof. In the case of Part A and Part B States, the actual collection of the duties will be left to the Governments of the States, as required by article 268 of the Constitution. The existing duties, and existing procedure for collection under the pre-Constitution statutes of the States which are at present protected under article 277 will be replaced by the rates and the procedure proposed in the Bill.3. The duties specified in the Schedule are, generally speaking, based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee appointed by Government.[27th April, 1955]An Act to provide for the levy and collection of duties of excise on medicinal and toilet preparations containing alcohol, [narcotic drug or narcotic] [ Substituted by Act 66 of 1976, Section 39, for " opium, Indian hemps or other narcotic drug or narcotic" (w.e.f. 27.5.1976).].Be it enacted by Parliament in the Sixth Year of the Republic of India as follows:-| The Act has been extended to the Union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu and Pondicherry by Regulations 12 of 1962 and 7 of 1963, respectively. The Act has also been extended to the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli by Central Government by Notification under Section 10 of Act 35 of 1961.2. Brought into force on 1.4.1957. |
1. Short title, extent and commencement .-(1) This Act may be called The Medicinal and Toilet Preparations (Excise Duties) Act, 1955.
2. Definitions .-In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a)"alcohol" means ethyl alcohol of any strength and purity having the chemical composition C2H5OH;(aa)[ "coca derivative" means-(i)crude cocaine, that is, any extract of coca leaf which can be used, directly or indirectly, for the manufacture of cocaine;(i)the leaf and young twigs of any coca plant, that is, of the Erythroxylon coca (Lamk.) and the Erythroxylon-novo-granatense (Hiern.) and their varieties, and of any other species of this genus which the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be coca plants for the purposes of this Act; and(ii)any mixture thereof, with or without neutral materials;](ii)ecgonine, that is, laevo-ecgonine having the chemical formula C9H15NO3H2O, and all the derivatives of laevo-ecgonine from which it can be recovered; and(iii)cocaine, that is, methyl-benzoyl-laevo-ecgonine having the chemical formula C17H21NO4, and its salts;(ab)"coca leaf" means-(b)"collecting Government" means the Central Government or, as the case may be, the State Government which is entitled to collect the duties levied under this Act;(bb)[ derivative of opium" means-(i)medicinal opium, that is, opium which has undergone the processes necessary to adapt it for medicinal use;(ii)prepared opium, that is, any product of opium obtained by any series of operations designed to transform opium into an extract suitable for smoking, and the dross or other residue remaining after opium is smoked;(iii)morphine, that is, the principal alkaloid of opium having the chemical formula C17H19NO3, and its salts, and its derivatives;](c)"dutiable goods" means the medicinal and toilet preparations specified in the Schedule as being subject to the duties of excise levied under this Act;(d)"excise officer" means an officer of the Excise Department of any State and includes any person empowered by the collecting Government to exercise all or any of the powers of an excise officer under this Act;(e)[ "Indian hemp" means-(i)the leaves, small stalks and flowering or fruiting tops of the Indian hemp plant (Cannabis sativa L.), including all forms known as bhang , siddhi or ganja ;(ii)charas , that is, the resin obtained from the Indian hemp plant, which has not been submitted to any manipulations other than those necessary for packing and transport;(iii)any mixture, with or without neutral materials, of any of the above forms of Indian hemp or any drink prepared therefrom; and(iv)any extract or tincture of any of the above forms of Indian hemp;](f)"manufacture" includes any process incidental or ancillary to the completion of the manufacture of any dutiable goods;(g)"medicinal preparation" includes all drugs which are a remedy or prescription prepared for internal or external use of human beings or animals and all substances intended to be used for or in the treatment, mitigation or prevention of disease in human beings or animals;(h)[ "narcotic drug" or "narcotic" means a substance which is coca leaf, or coca derivative, or opium, or derivative of opium, or Indian hemp and shall include any other substance, capable of causing or producing in human beings dependence, tolerance and withdrawal syndromes and which the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be a narcotic drug or narcotic;] [ Substituted by Act 66 of 1976, Section 39, for Clause (h) (w.e.f. 27.5.1976).](i)[ "opium" means,-3. Duties of excise to be levied and collected on certain goods .-(1) There shall be levied duties of excise, at the rates specified in the Schedule, on all dutiable goods manufactured in India.
4. Rebate of duty on alcohol, etc., supplied for manufacture of dutiable goods .-Where alcohol, [narcotic drug or narcotic] [ Substituted by Act 66 of 1976, Section 39, for Clause (e) (w.e.f. 27.5.1976).] had been supplied to a manufacturer of any dutiable goods for use as an ingredient of such goods by, or under the authority of, the collecting Government and a duty of excise on the goods so supplied had already been recovered by such Government under any law for the time being in force, the collecting Government shall, on an application being made to it in this behalf, grant in respect of the duty of excise leviable under this Act, a rebate to such manufacturer of the excess, if any, of the duty so recovered over the duty leviable under this Act.
5. Recovery of sums due to Government .-In respect of the duty of excise and any other sums of any kind payable to the collecting Government under any of the provisions of this Act or of the rules made thereunder, the excise officer empowered by the said rules to levy such duty or required the payment of such sums, may deduct the amount so payable from any money owing to the person from whom such sums may be recoverable or due, which may be in his hands or under his disposal or control or may recover the amount by attachment and sale of dutiable goods belonging to such person; and if the amount payable is not so recovered, he may prepare a certificate signed by him specifying the amount due from the person liable to pay the sum and send it to the Collector of the district in which such person resides or conducts his business, and the said Collector on receipt of such certificate shall proceed to recover from the said person the amount specified therein in the same manner as an arrear of land revenue.
6. Certain operations to be subject to licences .-(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, provide that from such date as may be specified in the notification, no person shall engage in the production or manufacture of any dutiable goods or of any specified component parts or ingredients of such goods or of specified containers of such goods or of labels of such containers except under the authority and in accordance with the terms and conditions of a licence granted under this Act.
7. Offences and penalties .-If any person,-
8. Power of Courts to order forfeiture .-Any Court trying any offence under section 7 may order the forfeiture to the collecting Government of any dutiable goods in respect of which the Court is satisfied that an offence under this Act has been committed, and may also order the forfeiture of any alcohol, drugs or materials by means of which the offence has been committed and of any receptacles, packages or coverings in which any such goods or articles are contained and the animals, vehicles, vessels or other conveyances used in carrying such goods or articles and any implements or machinery used in the manufacture of such goods.
Powers And Duties Of Officers And Landholders9. Power to arrest .-(1) Any excise officer duly empowered by rules made in this behalf may arrest any person whom he has reason to believe to be liable to punishment under this Act.
10. Power to summon persons to give evidence and produce documents in inquiries under this Act .-(1) Any excise officer duly empowered by rules made in this behalf shall have power to summon any person whose attendance he considers necessary either to give evidence or to produce a document or any other thing in any inquiry which such officer is making for any of the purposes of this Act.
11. Officers required to assist excise officers .-All officers of Customs and Central Excise, and such other officers of the Central Government as may be specified in this behalf, and all police officers and all officers engaged in the collection of land revenue are hereby empowered and required to assist excise officers in the execution of this Act.
12. Owners or occupiers of land to report manufacture of contraband dutiable goods .-Every owner or occupier of land and the agent of any such owner or occupier in charge of the management of that land, if dutiable goods are manufactured thereon in contravention of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder, shall, in the absence of reasonable excuse, be bound to give notice of such manufacture to a Magistrate or to an officer of the Excise, Customs, Police or Land Revenue Department immediately the fact comes to his notice.
13. Punishment for connivance at offences .-Any owner or occupier of land or any agent of such owner or occupier in charge of the management of that land, who wilfully connives at any offence against the provisions of this Act or any rules made thereunder shall, for every such offence, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.
14. Searches and arrests how to be made .-All arrests and searches made under this Act or under any rules made thereunder shall be carried out in accordance and with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (5 of 1898), relating respectively to searches and arrests under that Code.
15. Disposal of persons arrested .-(1) Every person arrested under this Act shall be forwarded without delay to the nearest excise officer empowered to send persons so arrested to a Magistrate or if there is no such excise officer within a reasonable distance to the officer-in-charge of the nearest police station.
16. Inquiry how to be made by excise officers against arrested persons forwarded to them .-(1) When any person is forwarded under section 15 to an excise officer empowered to send persons so arrested to a Magistrate, the excise officer shall proceed to inquire into the charge against him.
17. Vexatious search, seizure, etc., by excise officer .-(1) Any officer exercising powers under this Act or under the rules made thereunder who-
(a)without reasonable ground of suspicion searches or causes to be searched any place, conveyance or vessel;(b)vexatiously and unnecessarily detains, searches or arrests any person;(c)vexatiously and unnecessarily seizes the movable property of any person on pretence of seizing or searching for any article liable to confiscation under this Act;(d)commits, as such officer, any other act to the injury of any person, without having reason to believe that such act is required for the execution of his duty, shall, for every such offence, be punishable with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees.18. Failure of excise officers on duty .-Any excise officer who ceases or refuses to perform, or withdraws himself from, the duties of his office, unless he had obtained the express written permission of his superior officer or has given such superior officer two months' notice in writing of his intention or has other lawful excuse, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to three months' pay, or with both.
Supplementary Provisions19. Power to make rules .-(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make [rules] to carry out the purposes of this Act.
20. Bar of suits and limitation of suits and other legal proceedings .-(1) No suit or other legal proceeding shall lie against the collecting Government or against any officer in respect of any order passed in good faith or any act in good faith done or ordered to be done under this Act.
21. Repeals and savings .-If, immediately before the commencement of this Act, there is in force in any State any law corresponding to this Act, that law is hereby repealed:
Provided that all rules made, notification issued, licences or permits granted, powers conferred under any law hereby repealed shall, so far as they are not inconsistent with this Act, have the same force and effect as if they had been respectively made, issued, granted or conferred under this Act and by the authority empowered hereby in that behalf.[THE SCHEDULE](See Section 3)| Item No. | Description of dutiable goods | Rate of Duty |
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Medicinal Preparations | ||
| 1. | Allopathic Medicinal Preparations- | |
| (i) Medicinal preparations containing alcohol which are not capable of being consumed as ordinary alcoholic beverages - | ||
| (a) Patent or proprietary medicines. | Twenty per cent. ad valorem. | |
| (b) Others. | Twenty per cent. ad valorem. | |
| (ii) Medicinal preparations containing alcohol which are capable of being consumed as ordinary alcoholic beverages - | ||
| (a) Medicinal preparations which contain known active ingredients in therapeutic quantities. | Twenty per cent. ad valorem. | |
| (b) Others. | Twenty per cent. ad valorem | |
| (iii) Medicinal preparations not containing alcohol but containing narcotic drug or narcotic. | Twenty per cent. ad valorem | |
| 2. | Medicinal preparations in Ayurvedic, Unani or other indigenous systems of medicine - | |
| (i) Medicinal preparations containing self-generated alcohol which are not capable of being consumed as ordinary alcoholic beverages. | Four per cent. ad valorem | |
| (ii) Medicinal preparations containing self-generated alcohol which are capable of being consumed as ordinary alcoholic beverages. | Four per cent. ad valorem. | |
| (iii) All other containing alcohol which are prepared by distillation or to which alcohol has been added. | Six per cent. ad valorem | |
| (iv) Medicinal preparations not containing alcohol but containing narcotic drug or narcotic. | Twenty per cent. ad valorem | |
| 3. | Homoeopathic preparations containing alcohol. | Four per cent. ad valorem |
| Toilet Preparations | ||
| 4. | Toilet preparations containing alcohol or narcotic drug or narcotic. | Fifty per cent. ad valorem |