Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954

13. Report of public analyst. -

1[(1) The public analyst shall deliver, in such from as may be prescribed. a report to the Local (Health) Authority of the result of the analysis of any article of food submitted to him for analysis.

(2) On receipt of the report of the result of the analysis under subsection (1) to the effect that the article of food is adulterated the Local (Health) Authority shall, after the institution of prosecution against persons from whom the sample of the article of food was taken and the person, if any, whose name, address and other particulars have been disclosed under Sec. 14-A forward, in Such manner as may be prescribed, a copy of the report of the result of the analysis to such person or persons, as the case may be, informing such person or persons that if it is so desired, either or both of them may make an application to the Court within a period of ten days from the date of 'receipt of the copy of the report to get the sample of the article of food kept by the Local (Health) Authority analyzed by the Central Food Laboratory.

2 (2-A) When an application is made to the Court under sub-section (2), the Court shall require the Local (Health) Authority to forward the parts of the sample kept by the said Authority and upon such requisition being made, the said Authority shall forward the part or parts of the sample to the Court within a period of five days from the date o receipt of such requisition.

(2-B) On receipt of the  part or parts of the sample from the Local (Health) Authority under sub-section (2-A), the Court shall first ascertain that the mark and sea] or fastening as provided in Cl. (b) of sub-section (1) of Sec. 11 are intact and the signature or thumb impression, as the ease may be, is not tampered with, and dispatch the part or, as the case 1-nav be, one of the parts of the sample under its own seal to the Director of the Central Food Laboratory who shall thereupon send a certificate to the Court in the  prescribed  form within one month from the date of receipt of the part of the sample specifying the result of the analysis.

(2-C) Where two parts of 'the sample have been sent to the Court and only one part of- the sample has been sent by the Court to the Director of the Central Food Laboratory under subsection (2-B), the Court shall, as soon as practicable, return the remaining part to the Local (Health) Authority and that Authority shall destroy that part after the certificate from the Director of the Central Food Laboratory has been received by the Court:

Provided that where the part of the sample sent by the Court to Director of the Central Food Laboratory is lost or damaged, the Court shall require the Local (Health) Authority to forward the part of the sample, if any, retained by it to the Court and on receipt thereof the Court shall proceed in the manner provided in sub-section (2-B).

(2-D) Until the receipt of the  certificate of the result of the analysis from the Director of the Central Food Laboratory, the Court shall not continue with the proceedings pending before it in relation to the prosecution.

(2-E) It, after considering the report, if any, of the Food Inspector or otherwise, the Local (Health) Authority is of the opinion that the report delivered by the public analyst under sub-section (1) is erroneous, the said Authority shall forward one of the parts of the sample kept by it to any other public analyst for analysis and if the report of the result of the analysis of that part of the sample by that other public analyst is to the effect that the article of food is adulterated, the provisions of sub-sections(2) to (2-D)) shall, so far as may be, apply.]

(3) The certificate issued by the Director of the Central Food Laboratory under sub-section (2-B) shall supersede the report given by the public analyst under subsection (1).

(4) Where a certificate obtained from the Director of the Central Food Laboratory 2[under  sub- section  (2-B)] is produced in any proceeding under this Act or under Sees. 272 to 276 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), it shall not be necessary in such proceeding to produce any part of the sample of food taken for analysis.

(5) Any document purporting to be a report signed by a public analyst, unless it has been superseded under sub-section (3), or any document purporting to be a certificate signed by the Director of the Central Food Laboratory, may be used as evidence of the facts stated therein in any proceeding under this Act or under Sees. 272 to 276 of the Indian Penal Code:

3[Provided that any document purporting to be a certificate signed by the Director of the Central Food Laboratory [not being a certificate with respect to the analysis of the part of the sample of any article of food referred to in the proviso to sub- section (I -A) of Sec. 161 shall be final and conclusive evidence of the facts stated therein.]

4[Explanation-In this section, and in Cl. (9 of sub-section (1) of Sec. 16, "Director of the Central Food Laboratory" shall include the officer I or the time being in charge of any Food Laboratory (by whatever designation he is known) recognized by the Central Government for the purposes of this section.

1. Subs. by Act 34 61'1 976.  Sec. I 0. for sub-section (1) and (2) (w.e.f. I^st April 1976).

2. Subs. by Act 34 of 1976.  Sec.10 for under sub-section(2)" (w.e.f. I^st April 1976).

3. Subs. by Act 34 of 1976. Sec. 10 for proviso  (w .e . f.  I^st April 1976)

4. Ins. Ibid. (W.e.f. Ist April. 1976).

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