(1) The Secretary of the Marketing Board or any officer empowered by the Marketing Board in this -15- behalf, may, for the purposes of this Act, require any person carrying on business in any kind of notified agricultural produce to produce before him the accounts and other documents, and to furnish any information relating to stocks of such agricultural produce or purchase, sale, processing, value addition and delivery of such agricultural produce by such person and also to furnish any other information relating to payment of market fees by such person.
(2) All accounts and registers maintained by any person in the ordinary course of business of any notified agricultural produce and documents relating to stocks of such agricultural produce or purchase, sale, processing, value addition of such agricultural produce in his possession and offices, establishment, godowns, vessels or vehicles of such person shall be kept open for inspection at all reasonable times by the Secretary of the Marketing Board or any officer empowered by the Marketing Board or the Government.
(3) If any such authorized officer has reason to suspect that any person is attempting to evade the payment of any market fee due and payable by him under section 34 or that any person has purchased, sold, processed or added value to any notified agricultural produce in contravention of any of the provisions of this Act or the rules or the bye-laws framed thereunder, in the market areas, he may, by order in writing to such person, seize such accounts, registers or documents of such person, as may be necessary and shall grant a receipt for the same and shall retain the same so long as it may be necessary for the examination thereof or for prosecution.
(4) For the purposes of sub-section (2) or sub-section (3), such authorised officer may enter or search any place of business, warehouse, office, establishment, godown, vessel or vehicle where such officer has reason to believe that such person keeps or for the time being has kept accounts, registers or documents of his business or stock of notified agricultural produce relating to his business.
(5) The provisions of sub-sections (4) to (8) of section 100 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) shall, so far as may be, apply to search under sub-section (4).
(6) Where, any books of accounts or other documents seized under sub-section (3) contains entries recorded therein making a reference as to the quantity, quotations, rates, receipts or payment of money or sale or purchase of goods, such books of accounts or other documents shall be admitted in evidence and such entries shall be considered as primafacie evidence of matters, transactions and accounts purported to have been recorded therein.