[10C. Power to seize commodities, etc.--(1) If the authorised officer has any reason to believe that any commodity is liable to confiscation under this Act, he may seize such commodity together with the package, covering or receptacle, if any, in which such commodity is found and where such commodity is found to have been mixed with any other goods or materials, he may seize such commodity together with the goods or materials with which it is so mixed:
Provided that where it is not practicable to seize any such commodity, the authorised officer may serve on the owner of the commodity an order that he shall not remove, part with, or otherwise deal with, the commodity except with the previous permission of such authorised officer.
(2) Where any commodity is seized under sub-section (1) and no notice in respect thereof is given under section 10L within six months of the seizure of such commodity, it shall be returned to the person from whose possession it was seized:
Provided that the aforesaid period of six months may, on sufficient cause being shown, be extended by the Director of Inspection and Quality Control by a further period not exceeding six months.
(3) The authorised officer may seize any documents or things which, in his opinion will be useful for, or relevant to, any proceeding under this Act.
(4) The person from whose custody any documents are seized under sub-section (3) shall be entitled to make copies thereof or take extracts there from in the presence of the authorised officer.
(5) If any person legally entitled to the documents or things seized under sub-section (3)objects, for any reason, to the retention by the authorised officer of the documents or things, he may make an application to the Central Government staling therein the reasons for such objection and requesting for the return of the documents or things.
(6) On receipt of an application under sub-section (5), the Central Government may, after giving the applicant an opportunity of being heard, pass such order as it may think fit.
(7) Where any document--
(a) is produced or furnished by any person or has been seized from the custody or control of any person under this Act or any other law for the time being in force; or
(b) has been received from any place outside India (duly authenticated by such authority or person and in such manner as may be prescribed) in the course of the investigation of any offence alleged to have been committed by any person against this Act,
and such document is tendered in evidence against the person by whom it is produced or from whom it was seized or against such person and any other person who is jointly tried, or proceeded against, with him, the Court, or, as the case may be, the adjudicating authority shall, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other law for the time being in force,--
(i) presume, unless the contrary is proved, that the signature and every other part of such document which purports to be in the handwriting of any particular person or which the court or the adjudicating authority may reasonably assume to have been signed by, or to be in the handwriting of, any particular person, is under that person's handwriting, and, in the case of a document executed or attested, it was executed or attested by the person by whom it purports to have been so executed or attested;
(ii) admit the document in evidence notwithstanding that it is not duly stamped, if such document is otherwise admissible in evidence.]