NAFR

HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH, BILASPUR 

CRMP No.339 of 2021

 Dilip Singh, S/o Kishan Singh, Aged About

27 Years, R/o Budhbari Bazar, Near Ganesh

Pandal   Korba,   Tehsil   Korba,   District

Korba, Chhattisgarh

­­­­ Petitioner

Versus 

1.State   of   Chhattisgarh   Through   Police

Chowki   CSEB,   Police   Station   Kotwali

Korba, Chhattisgarh

2.The   Collector,   Korba,   District   Korba,

Chhattisgarh 

­­­­ Respondents

For Petitioner

Mr. Akhilesh Kumar, Adv.

For Respondents

Mr. R. K. Bhagat, Dy. GA

Hon'ble Justice Shri Sanjay K. Agrawal

Order On Board

24/03/2021 

1.

The   petitioner   is   the   owner   of   vehicle

car   Tata   Tiago   bearing   registration

No.CG­12­AU­1164,   which   was   found   in

commission of excise offence and has been

seized by the Police, Police Chowki CSEB,

Police   Station   Kotwali,   District   Korba

(C.G.) vide Crime No.852/2020. 

2.

The petitioner made an application under

Section 457 of CrPC for grant of interim

custody of the vehicle in question before

the   Judicial   Magistrate   First   Class,

Korba, which has been rejected vide order

dated   24.11.2020   in   Criminal   Case

No.1073/2020, against which the criminal

revision   was   filed   before   the   First

Additional   Session   Judge,   Korba,   which

has also been rejected vide order dated

12.01.2021

in

Criminal

Revision

No.01/2021.

3.

I   have   heard   learned   counsel   for   the

parties and perused the records. 

4.

Admittedly,   pursuant   to   the   seizure   of

the vehicle in question, the confiscation

proceedings   for   confiscation   of   the

vehicle in question have been initiated

by   the   Collector/District   Magistrate,

Korba   and   the   fact   of   initiation   of

confiscation proceedings has already been

informed by the Collector to the Judicial

Magistrate. As such, jurisdiction of the

Criminal Court is barred by Section 47­D

of the Chhattisgarh Excise Act, 1961 to

grant   interim   custody   of   the   vehicle.

However, the petitioner is at liberty to

make

an

application

before

the

Collector/District Magistrate, Korba for

interim   custody   of   the   vehicle   in

question within 15 days from today, which

will   be   considered   and   decided   in

accordance with the principles laid down

by   the   Supreme   Court   in   the   matter   of

Sunderbhai   Ambalal   Desai   vs   State   Of

Gujarat¹ within next 15 days. 

5.

With   the   aforesaid   observation,   the

petition under Section 482 of CrPC stands

disposed off. 

  Sd/­

   Sanjay K. Agrawal

Judge

   Nirala

1

(2002) 10 SCC 283