(1) At any time when so required, any officer of the Board empowered by the Board or any officer of the Committee empowered by the Committee in this behalf, as the case may be, may direct the driver or any other person in charge of the vehicle, vessel or H. P. AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL PRODUCE MARKETING 37 (DEVELOPMENT AND REGULATION) ACT, 2005 other conveyance to stop such vessel or other conveyance, as long as may reasonably be necessary, and allow such person to examine the contents in the vehicle, vessel or other conveyance and inspect all records relating to the notified agricultural produce carried, and give his name, address and name and address of the owner of the vehicle, vessel or other conveyance and name and address of the owner of the notified agricultural produce carried in such vehicle, vessel or other conveyance.
(2) Persons empowered under sub-section (1) may seize any notified agricultural produce brought into or taken out or proposed to be taken out of the market area in any vehicle, vessel or other conveyance, if he has reason to believe that any fee or other amount due under this Act or the value payable to the seller in respect of such agricultural produce has not been paid.
(3) If any person empowered under sub-section (1) has reason to suspect that any person is attempting to evade the payment of any market fee due from him under section 44 or that any person has purchased or stored any notified agricultural produce in contravention of any of the provisions of this Act or the rules or the bye-laws made thereunder in the market area, he may enter and search any place of business, warehouse, office, establishment or godown where the person empowered under sub-section (1) has reason to believe that such person keeps or has for the time being kept stock of the notified agricultural produce and may seize the stored agricultural produce and such seized notified agricultural produce may be confiscated in favour of the market committee in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
(4) The provisions of section 100, 457,458 and 459 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (No. 2 of 1974) shall apply to entry, search and seizure under sub-section (1), (2) and (3) as they apply in relation to the entry, search and seizure of property by the police officer. Such seizure shall forthwith be reported by the person aforesaid to a Magistrate having jurisdiction to try the offence under this Act.