General penalty for offences under this Act
Section 23 of the Petroleum Act, 1934 deals with general penalty for offences under this Act. Whoeve-- (a) in contravention of any of the provisions of Chapter I or of any of the rules made thereunder, imports, transports, stores, produces, refines or blends any petroleum, or (b) contravenes any rule made under section 4 or section 5, or [(c) being the holder or a licence issued under sectio The Act came into force on 30 Mar 1937.
(1) Whoeve--
(a) in contravention of any of the provisions of Chapter I or of any of the rules made thereunder, imports, transports, stores, produces, refines or blends any petroleum, or
(b) contravenes any rule made under section 4 or section 5, or
1[(c) being the holder or a licence issued under section 4 or a person for the time being placed by the holder of such licence in control or in charge of any place where petroleum is being imported or stored, or is under transport, contravenes any condition of such licence or suffers any condition of such licence to be contravened, or]
(d) being for the time being in control or in charge of any place where petroleum is being imported, stored, produced, refined or blended or is under transport, refuses or neglects to show to any officer authorised under section 13 any receptacle, plant or appliance used in such place in connection with petroleum, or in any way obstructs or fails to render reasonable assistance to such officer during an inspection, or
(e) being for the time being in control or in charge of any place where petroleum is being imported, transported, stored, produced, refined or blended, refuses or neglects to show to any officer authorised under section 14 any petroleum in such place, or to give him such assistance as he may require for the inspection of such petroleum, or refuses to allow him to take samples of the petroleum, or
(f) being required, under section 27, to give information of an accident, fails to give such information as so required by that section,
shall be punishable 2[with simple imprisonment which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both].
(2) If any person, having been convicted of an offence punishable under sub-section (1), is again guilty of any offence punishable under that sub-section, he shall be punishable for every such subsequent offence 2[with simple imprisonment which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both].
Section 23, The Petroleum Act, 1934 (Act 30 of 1934).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Referred to by 1
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Poulos M.O. v. The Controller of Explosives/Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives & Ors.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Kerala HC treated the petitioner’s prayer for search under Petroleum Act s.13 (with Rules) as the statutory inspection pathway and disposed the PIL after PESO showed District Magistrates had been directed to inspect unlicensed storages under the Act/Rules. DATE VERIFIED Final Order 2023-03-17 (order-2.pdf).
On this section: s.23 General penalty — petition and order situate unlicensed import/transport/storage contraventions within the Act’s general penalty architecture.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 23
What have the courts held on Section 23 of the Petroleum Act?
Poulos M.O. v. The Controller of Explosives/Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives & Ors. (17 Mar 2023) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.23 General penalty — petition and order situate unlicensed import/transport/storage contraventions within the Act’s general penalty architecture.
How do I find court cases under Section 23 of the Petroleum 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: Petroleum Act 1934 23, section 23 Petroleum Act 1934, section 23 of the Petroleum Act. People searching for it also type petroleum act 1934 section 23 and 23 petroleum act punishment. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Poulos M.O. v. The Controller of Explosives/Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives & Ors. (17 Mar 2023).
What should I read with Section 23 of the Petroleum Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 4 (Rules for the import, transport and storage of petroleum), section 5 (Production, refining and blending of petroleum), section 13 (Inspection of places), section 14 (Inspection and sampling of petroleum), and on 1 further provision, so none of them can safely be read on its own. 1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it.
When did Section 23 of the Petroleum Act come into force?
Section 23 of the Petroleum Act, cited as Petroleum Act 1934 23, came into force on 30 Mar 1937, having been enacted on 06 Sep 1934. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 4. Rules for the import, transport and storage of petroleum317 words
- 21. Power to make rules regarding tests258 words
- 2. Definitions254 words
- 29. Provisions relating to rules227 words
- 9. Exemptions for motor conveyances and stationary engines221 words
- 28. Inquiries into serious accidents with petroleum201 words
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 16 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.