Central Excise Act, 1944
22. VEXATIOUS SEARCH, SEIZURE, ETC., BY CENTRAL EXCISE
OFFICER.
Any Central Excise or other 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 house, boat or place;
(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.
Any person willfully and maliciously giving false information
and so causing an arrest or a search to be made under this Act shall be
punishable with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees or with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with both.