Power to order production of accounts and powers of entry, inspection and seizure

(1) Any officer or servant of the Market Committee/Marketing Board empowered in this behalf, may, for the purposes of this Act, require any person carrying on business in any kind of notified agricultural produce to produce before him the accounts and other documents and furnish any information relating to the stocks of such agricultural produce or purchases, sales and deliveries of such agricultural produce by such person and also any other information relating to payment of the market fees and payment to the seller by such person. (2) All accounts and registers maintained by any person in the ordinary course of business in any notified agricultural produce and documents relating to the stock of such agricultural produce in his possession and the office, establishments, godowns, vessels or vehicles of such person shall be open to inspection at all reasonable times by such officers and servants of the Market Committee as may be authorised in this behalf. (3) If any such officer or servant has reason to suspect that any person is attempting to evade the payment of any market fee or any other charges due from him under this Act or rules or bye : laws or that any person has purchased any notified agricultural produce in contravention of any of the provisions of this Act or the rules or bye-laws in force in the market areas, he may for reasons to be recorded in writing, seize such accounts registers or documents of such person as may be necessary and shall grant a receipt for the same and shall retain the same only so long as may be necessary for examination thereof or for a prosecution. (4) For purposes of sub-section (3) such officer or servant may enter or search any place of business, ware house, office, establishment, godowns, vessel or vehicle where such officer or servant has reason to believe that such person keeps or for the time being keeps any accounts register or documents of his business, or stock of notified agricultural produce relating his business. (5) The provisions of Section 10 (4) to (8) of the Code of Criminal procedure, 1973, shall, so far as may be, apply to a search under Sub-section (3)