Penalty for misconduct by licensed vendor or manufacturer

Section 78 of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act deals with penalty for misconduct by licensed vendor or manufacturer. Whoever, being the holder of a licence for the sale or manufacture of any intoxicant under this Act, or a person in the employ of such holder or acting with his express or implied permission on his behalf- (a) mixes or permits to be mixed with the said intoxicant any noxious drug or any foreign ingr The Act was enacted on 20 May 1949.

Whoever, being the holder of a licence for the sale or manufacture of any intoxicant under this Act, or a person in the employ of such holder or acting with his express or implied permission on his behalf-

(a) mixes or permits to be mixed with the said intoxicant any noxious drug or any foreign ingredient likely to add to the actual or apparent intoxicating quality or strength or any article prohibited by any rule made under this Act or water except for the purpose of reducing liquor to the strength prescribed in the licence, or any diluting or colouring substance or any ingredient whatsoever likely to render the intoxicant inferior in quality whether such ingredient is or is not prohibited as aforesaid, when of such admixture, shall not amount to the offence of adulteration under section 272 of the Indian Penal Code (XLV of 1860), or

(b) sells or keeps or exposes for sale as foreign liquor, which liquor he knows or has reason to believe to be country liquor, or

(c) marks the cork of any bottle, or any bottle, case, package or other receptacle containing country liquor, or uses any bottle, case, package or other receptacle containing country liquor, with any mark thereon or on the cork thereof with the intention of causing it to be believed that such bottle, case, package or other receptacle contains foreign liquor, when such act shall not amount to an offence of using a false trade mark with intent to deceive or injure any person under section 482 of the Indian Penal Code (XLV of 1860), or

(d) sells any intoxicant which is not of the nature, substance and quality or other receptacle, with any mark thereon or on the cork thereof with the intention of causing it to be believed, that such bottle, case, package or other receptacle contains foreign liquor, when such act shall not amount to the offence of selling goods marked with a counterfeit trade mark under section 486 of the Indian Penal Code (XLV of 1860), or

(e) sells any intoxicant which is not of the nature, substance and quality demanded by the purchaser or keeps or exposes for sale any intoxicant which is not of the nature, substance and quality authorised by the terms of the licence to be kept for sale by the holder of the licence,

shall, on conviction, be punished for each such offence with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ¹[one year and with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees].

Section 78, The Maharashtra Prohibition Act (Act 25 of 1949).