(1) No information of any individual return or part thereof, with respect to any matter given for the purposes of section 70 shall, without the previous consent in writing of the dealer or person or his authorised agent, be published in such manner as to enable any particulars to be identified as referring to a particular dealer and no such information shall be used for the purpose of any proceedings under the provisions of this Act.
(2) Except for the purpose of prosecution under this Act, or any other Act, no person who is not engaged in the collection of statistics under this Act or of compilation or computerization thereof for the purposes of this Act, shall be permitted to see or have access to any information or any individual return referred to in that section.
(3) If any person engaged in connection with the collection of statistics under section 70 or compilation or computerization thereof wilfully discloses any information or the contents of any return given or made under that section, otherwise than in execution of his duties under that section or for the purposes of the prosecution of an offence under this Act or under any other Act, he shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both :
[Provided that, no prosecution shall be instituted under this sub-section, except with the previous sanction of the State Government.]
(4) Nothing in this section shall apply to the publication of any information relating to a class of dealer or class of transactions, if in the opinion of the Commissioner, it is desirable in the public interest, to publish such information.