Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
(1) Shop tradings in essential article.- The Government, if they consider it necessary for the purpose of maintaining supplies essential to the life of the community may, by general or special order and subject to the provisions of any law for the time being in force relating to shop hours, require the proprietor of a wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant to keep open the wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant for the conduct of the essential business thereof, during such period or periods as may be specified in the order, (2) No proprietor of a wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant shall, close the shop for restaurant on the occasion of a hartal or in contravention of any order under sub-section (1), or suffer the same to be so closed. (3) If a wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant is closed in contravention of sub-section (2), the Government or any person authorised by them by general or special order in this behalf may cause the wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant to be opened and may use or cause to be used such force as may be necessary for this purpose. The essential business of such wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant shall then be caused, to be carried on through such agency as the Government or the person authorised may think fit and at such prices as may be specified in the order. (4) Where the essential business or a wholesale establishment, shop, or restaurant is carried on in pursuance of an order under sub-section (3), all stock-in-trade relevent to the essential business thereof may be sold or disposed of by the agency through which the essential business is carried on, and there shall be paid to the proprietor of the wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant a sum determined by the Government or by a person authorised by them in this behalf as representing the proceeds of the sale or disposal of such stock-in-trade, less the amount of the cost of carrying on the essential business of the wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant. (5) Where the proprietor of a wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant does not close the wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant on the occasion of hartal or contravention, of an order under sub-section (1), but on such occasion or during the period or periods specified in such order, as the case may be, refuses to carry on the essential business thereof except on terms in excess of the normal, the wholesale establishment, shop or restaurant shall be deemed to be closed in contravention of sub-section (2) for all the purposes of this section. (6) Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of this section or any order made thereunder shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine or with both.