COMMON ORDER

Assailing the orders in and by which the respective petitions filed for release of the vehicles, which were alleged to have been involved in the offence of illegal transportation of minerals and which stood seized by the authorised officers, the present revision petitions have been filed seeking to set aside the said orders and direct interim custody of the vehicles pending trial.

2. The vehicles of various descriptions, which are the subject matter in the respective revision petitions, were seized by the authorised officers u/s 21 (4) of the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 (for short ‘the MMDR Act’) along with the minerals, which were alleged to have been transported in the said vehicles. Pending finalisation of confiscation proceedings/initiation of confiscation proceedings, the respective petitioners filed petition u/s 451 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (for short ‘the Code’) seeking interim custody/release of the vehicle, which had come to be dismissed by the court below leading to the filing of the present petitions for the aforestated relief.

3. The vehicles involved in the alleged offences have been seized u/s 21 (4) of the MMDR A