Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
(1) Where a District Magistrate or Magistrate of the first class has reason to believe that an unauthorised news-sheet or unauthorised newspaper is being produced from an uudeclared press within the limits of his jurisdiction he may by warrant authorise any Police Officer not below the rank of an Inspector to enter upon and search any place wherein such undeclared press may be or may be reasonably suspected to be, and if, in the opinion of such Police Officer any press found in such place is an undeclared press and used to produce an unauthorised news-sheet or unauthorised news-paper, he may seize such press and any documents found in the place which in his opinion are unauthorised news-sheets or unauthorised newspapers, (2) The Police Officer shall make a report of the search to the Court which issued the warrant and shall produce before such Court, as soon as may be, all property seized: Provided that where any press which has been seized cannot be readily removed, the Police Officer may produce before the Court only such parts thereof as he may think fit. (3) If such Court, after such enquiry as it may deem requisite, is of opinion that a press seized under this section is an undeclared press which is used to produce an unauthorised news-sheet or unauthorised newspaper, it may, by order in writing, declare the press to be forfeited to the Government. If, after such inquiry, the Court is not of such opinion, it shall dispose of the press in the manner provided in sections 436, 437, and 438 of the Travancore Code of Criminal Procedure or sections 422, 423 and 424 of the Cochin Code of Criminal Procedure, as the case may be.