Nadeem Khan Mohamad Isakhan v. Collector Bhandara Dist Collector Office Bhandara and Another
Case brief
What is this about?
Bombay High Court, Nagpur Bench; Criminal Writ Petition No. 1011 of 2024; Nadeem Khan Mohamad Isakhan v. District Collector, Bhandara and Police Station Bhandara; decided 28/01/2025; coram Urmila Joshi-Phalke, J.; neutral citation 2025:BHC-NAG:1077. Subject: release conditions for vehicle seized under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 — Section 6A (Collector's power) and Section 6-C (appeal to Sessions Judge, Bhandara); truck MH-26-CH7373 carrying seized essential commodities allegedly for black-marketing; bank guarantee/bank grantee of Rs. 31,70,000/- held exorbitant for a driver dependent on the vehicle for livelihood; Court's holding: market price is the outer limit, not the minimum threshold, and neither solvent surety, cash surety, nor fine in lieu of confiscation must correspond to market price; discretion vests in the authority. Result: petition allowed; condition modified to cash surety of Rs. 8,66,000/- against stock plus solvent surety of Rs. 5,00,000/- against the truck; vehicle to be released by Collector within 72 hours. Precedents relied on (Nagpur Bench): C.W.P. 136/2021 (Mohd. Riyaz Quadir Miya Sheikh), C.W.P. 97/2020 (Mohsin Beg Shabbir beg), C.W.P. 999/2014 (Vikas Meshram), C.W.P. 1000/2014 (Pramod Thakre), Dinesh Bhaktani [2016 ALL MR (Cri) 4177]. Keywords: essential commodities seizure; vehicle release; solvent surety in lieu of bank guarantee; cash surety reduction; confiscation fine; discretion of Collector; 72-hour release direction.