Custom Act, 1962
140.
Offences by Companies. –
(1)
If the person committing an offence under this Chapter is a company, every
person who, at the time the offence was committed was in charge of, and was
responsible to, the company for the conduct of business of the company, as well
as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable
to be proceeded against and punished accordingly :
Provided
that nothing contained in this sub-section
shall render any such person liable to such punishment provided in this Chapter
if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he
exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.
(2)
Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence under
this Chapter has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence
has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any
negligence on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other officer of
the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall also be
deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against
and punished accordingly.
Explanation
: For the purposes of this section, -
(a)
"company" means a body corporate and includes a firm or other
association of individuals; and
(b)
"director", in relation to a firm, means a partner in the firm.