Poisons Act, 1919

(1) This Act may be called the Poisons Act, 1919.

3[(2) It extends to the whole of India:

Provided that it shall not apply to the State of Jammu and Kashmir except to the extent to which the provisions of this Act relate to the importation into India of any specified poison.]

(1) 4[***] The 5[State Government] may by rule regulate within the whole or any part of the territories under its administration the possession for the sale and the sale, whether wholesale or retail, of any specified poison.

(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for-

(a) the grant of licenses to possess any specified poison for sale, wholesale or retail, and the fixing of the fee (if any) to be charged for such licenses;

(b) the classes of persons to whom alone such licenses may be granted;

(c) the classes of persons to whom alone any such poison may be sold;

(d) the maximum quantity of any such poison which may be sold to any one person;

(e) the maintenance by vendors of any such poison of registers of sales, the particulars to be entered in such registers, and the inspection of the same;

(f) the safe custody of such poisons and the labeling of the vessels, packages or coverings in which any such poison is sold or possessed for sale; and

(g) the inspection and examination of any such poison when possessed for sale by any such vendor.

The 6[Central Government] may, by notification in the 7[Official Gazette], prohibit, except under and in accordance with the conditions of a license, the importation into 8[India] 9[across any customs frontier defined by the Central Government] of any specified poison, and may by rule regulate the grant of licenses.

(1) The 5[State Government] 4[***] may by rule regulate the possession of any specified poison in any local area in which the use of such poison for the purpose of committing murder or mischief by poisoning cattle appears to it to be of such frequent occurrence as to render restrictions on the possession thereof desirable.

(2) In making any rule under sub-section (1), the 5[State Government] may direct that any breach thereof shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both, together with confiscation of the poison in respect of which the breach has been committed, and of the vessels, packages or coverings in which the same is found.

Any substance specified as a poison in a rule made or notification issued under this Act shall be deemed to be a poison for the purposes of this Act.

(1) Whoever-

(a) commits a breach of any rule made under section 2, or

(b) imports 10[***] without a license 9[into 8[India] across a customs frontier defined by the Central Government] any poison the importation of which is for the time being restricted under section 3, or

(c) breaks any condition of a license for the poison granted to him under section 3,

shall be punishable,-

(i) on a first conviction, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both, and

(ii) on a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.

(2) Any poison in respect of which an offence has been committed under this section, together with the vessels, packages or. coverings in which the same is found, shall be liable to confiscation.

(1) The District Magistrate, the Sub-divisional Magistrate and, in a Presidency-town, the Commissioner of Police, may issue a warrant for the search of any place in which he has reason to believe or to suspect that any poison is possessed or sold in contravention of this Act or any rule thereunder, or that any poison liable to confiscation under this Act is kept or concealed.

(2) The person to whom the warrant is directed may enter and search the place in accordance therewith, and the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, relating to search-warrants, shall, as far as may be deemed to apply to the execution of the warrant..

(1) In addition to any other power to make rules hereinbefore conferred 11[***] the 5[State Government] may make rules generally to carry out the purposes and objects of this Act 9[except section 3].

(2) Every power to make rules conferred by this Act shall be subject to the condition of the rules being made after previous publication.

(3) All rules made by the 6[Central Government] or by the 5[State Government] under this Act shall be published in the 12[Official Gazette] and on such publication shall have effect as if enacted in this Act.

13[(4) Every rule made by the Central Government under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.]

13[(5) Every rule made by the State Government under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before the State Legislature]

(1) Nothing in this Act or in any license granted or rule made thereunder shall extend to, or interfere with, anything done in good faith in the exercise of his profession as such by a medical or veterinary practitioner.

(2) Notwithstanding anything hereinbefore contained the 5[State Government] may 14[***] by general or special order declare that all or any of the provisions of this Act 9[except section 3] shall be-deemed not to apply to any article or class of articles of commerce specified in such order, or to any poison or class of poisons used for any purpose so specified.

(3) The authority on which any power to make rules under this Act is conferred may, by general or special order, either wholly or partially-

(a) exempt from the operation of any such rules, or

(b) exclude from the scope of the exemption provided by sub-section (1),any person or class of persons either generally or in respect of any poison specified in the order.

1 The Act has been extended to Berar by the Berar Laws Act, 1941 (4 of 1941), to Laccadive, Minicoy and Aminidivi Islands with effect from 1st October, 1967, vide Regulation 8 of 1965, section 3 and Schedule, to Dadra and Nagar Haveli, with effect from 1st July, 1965 by Regulation 6 of 1963, section 2 and Schedule I, to the Union Territory of Pondicherry by Act No. 26 of 1968, section 3 and Schedule.

The Act has been repealed in application to Ballary Districts by Mysore Act, 1955 (14 of 1955).

2 The words, "throughout British India" were omitted by the Indian Independence (Adaptation of Central Acts and Ordinances) Order, 1948.

3 Substituted by the Poisons (Amendment) Act, 1958, for the former sub-section (2).

4 The words "Subject to the control of the Governor General in Council" were omitted by the Government of India (Adaptation of Indian Laws) Order, 1937.

5 Substituted by the Adaptation of Laws Orders, 1950, for the words "Provincial Government".

6 Substituted by the Government of India (Adaptation of Indian Laws) Order, 1937, for the words "Governor General in Council".

7 Substituted by Government of India (Adaptation of Indian Laws) order 1937, for the words "Gazette of India".

8 Substituted by the Poisons (Amendment) Act, 1958, for the words "the States".

9 Inserted by the Government of India (Adaptation of Indian Laws) Order 1937.

10 The words "into British India" omitted by the Govt. of India (Adaptation of Indian laws) Order, 1937.

11 The words "and subject to the control of the Governor General in Council" omitted by the Government of India (Adaptation of Indian Laws) Order; 1937.

12 Substituted by the Government of India (Adaptation of Indian law) order 1937, for the words "Gazette of India or the local official Gazette as the case may be".

13 Inserted by the Delegated Legislation Provisions (Amendment) Act 1985, w.e.f. 15th May, 1986.

14 The words "in its discretion" were omitted, by the Government of India (Adaptation of Indian law) order 1937.