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Section10
The Essential Commodities Act, 1955

Offences by companies

In force From 01 Apr 1955 Act 10 of 1955 As on 18 Oct 2026

Act 10 of 1955 Ministry Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Enacted 01 Apr 1955 In force 01 Apr 1955 Cited by 1 provision

Section 10 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 deals with offences by companies. If the person contravening an order made under section 3 is a company, every person who, at the time the contravention was committed, was in charge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company as well as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the contr The Act came into force on 01 Apr 1955.

(1) If the person contravening an order made under section 3 is a company, every person who, at the time the contravention was committed, was in charge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company as well as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the contravention 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 any punishment if he proves that the contravention took place without his knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to prevent such contravention.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence under this Act 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 neglect 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 any 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.

Section 10, The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (Act 10 of 1955).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

This section refers to

  1. s. 3 Powers to control production, supply, distribution, etc., of essential commodities

Referred to by 1

  1. s. 10B Power of court to publish name, place of business, etc., of companies convicted under the Act

Questions about Section 10

What does Section 10 of the Essential Commodities Act deal with?

Section 10 of the Essential Commodities Act is headed "Offences by companies". If the person contravening an order made under section 3 is a company, every person who, at the time the contravention was committed, was in charge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company as well as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the contr

How do I find court cases under Section 10 of the Essential Commodities Act?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Essential Commodities Act 10, section 10 Essential Commodities Act, section 10 of the Essential Commodities Act. People searching for it also type essential commodities act 10 of 1955 and section 10a of essential commodities act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.

What should I read with Section 10 of the Essential Commodities Act, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on section 3 (Powers to control production, supply, distribution, etc., of essential commodities), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it.

When did Section 10 of the Essential Commodities Act come into force?

Section 10 of the Essential Commodities Act, cited as Essential Commodities Act 10, came into force on 01 Apr 1955, having been enacted on 01 Apr 1955. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 18 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.