P.R. Subbier and Others

Cronish, J.—The Petitioners were convicted of offences under the Madras City Police Act, Sections 45 and 46 Accused 1 of keeping or

permitting to be kept and Accused 2, 3, 4 and 5 of using a common gaming house, and Accused 6 and 7 of being found gaming or present for the

purpose of gaming house, and Accused 6 and 7 of being found gaming or present for the purpose of gaming in a common gaming house.

The premises in question were occupied by Accused 1 who conducted a printing business there, known as the All-India Printing Works, and in

the course of his business printed race-books and other racing intelligence. Accused 4 and 5 were clerks employed by him.

The evidence is that on the day when the premises were raided by the police a number of persons were found on and around the pial of the

building; that accused 2 and 3 were on the pial taking betting slips from accused 6 and 7; and that betting slips were found on these accused

persons. These betting slips were pieces of paper with the names of race horses-written thereon and against these names were written sums of

money, obviously indicating that these sums had been betted upon the particular horses. Immediately within the building, in a room used as an

office of Accused 1, were discovered Accused 4 and 5 seated at two tables on which were found some more betting slips and some lists of

acceptances for the Mysore races which were in progress on that day. In the unlocked drawer of the table at which Accused 4 was seated was

found a sum of Rs. 187. The drawer of the table at which Accused 5 was sitting was locked. As the key was not forthcoming the drawer was

forced open and a sum of Rs. 416-1-0 was found therein. These moneys, as well as the betting slips, lists of acceptances, and some other papers

were seized by the police. Mahazars were drawn up and attested by two witnesses-who had been taken to the premises for that purpose by the

police. The point was raised whether the provisions of Section 103, Criminal Procedure Code governed a search and seizure of property made in

pursuance of a warrant issued u/s 42 of the Madras City Police Act. It is not necessary for the purposes of this case to decide it, because I am

satisfied that, assuming Section 103 applied, the requirements of that section were substantially fulfilled.

The principle arguments of the'' learned Counsel for the petitioners have been directed against the validity of the warrant.

The warrant which was issued on 11th June, 1932, is dated 11th June, 1933. That, however, is a mere slip of the pen. It states:

Whereas information has this day been laid before the undersigned Deputy Commissioner of Police and Justice of the Peace for the Town of

Madras, that a common gaming house is kept on the premises occupied by Subbayyer, Propretor, All India Printing Works, at No. 239 Ayya

Pillai Street, Georgetown, Madras etc.

The warrant is signed by Mr. Wilkes, a Deputy Commissioner of Police.

The authority of the Deputy Commissioner to issue the warrant has been contested. It was contended that the power to issue a warrant is vested

by Section 42 of the Police Act in the Commissioner of Police, and that there must be proof, which is wanting here, that the power has been

deputed by the Commissioner to the Deputy Commissioner. The question depends on the construction of Section 6 of the Act. This provides that

the Government may from time to time appoint one or more Deputies or Assistants to the Commissioner, who shall be competent to perform any

of the duties or exercise any of the powers assigned to that officer as Commissioner under his orders. I think that the section authorizes a Deputy

Commissioner to exercise the powers given to the Commissioner by the Act, but that the Deputy must exercise those powers subject to the orders

of the Commissioner. The powers are conferred on the Deputy by the Act and not by an order of the Commissioner, though the Deputy is subject

to the control of the Commissioner. This was the construction put on substantially the same provision of the Calcutta Police Act in Forsyth v.

Wilson ILR (1893) 20 Cal. 670. I accordingly hold that it was competent to the Deputy Commissioner to issue the warrant in the present instance.

It was next contended that the warrant is bad because it does not on the face of it show a legal foundation for its issue. Section 42 of the Police

Act says:

If the Commissioner has reason to believe that any enclosed place or building is used as a common gaming house he may issue his warrant.

The warrant in the present instance does not state that the Deputy Commissioner had "" reason to believe"", but that "" information has been laid

before him that the premises were used as a common gaming house. Apparently the warrant follows the form prescribed by Sch. V of the Code of

Criminal Procedure for a search warrant issued by a Court u/s 96 of the Code. Section 96 has nothing to do with the power exercisable by a

Deputy Commissioner u/s 42 of the Police Act. But a Deputy Commissioner is ex-officio a Justice of the Peace,, by virtue of Section 8 of the Act,

for the prevention of offences-and for the performance of the duties assigned to the Commissioner by the Act. And it is established that no Justice

of the Peace can proceed without an information; but, unless the statute so requires, the information need not be in writing nor upon oath: see Reg

v. Millard (1813) 6 Cox Case 150. Section 42 of the Madras Police Act does not require a sworn information as a condition to the issue of a

warrant. It is sufficient, therefore, in my opinion, that the warrant should state, as in the present instance, that the Deputy Commissioner has issued

the warrant on information laid before him. It is not necessary for him to state that he had reason to believe the information. The decision in

Walvekar v. Emperor ILR (1926) 53 Cal. 718 on which Mr. Brooke Elliott relied rests on the special facts of the case. The warrant there was

held to be defective because it appeared on the face of it that the Commissioner had not complied with formalities required by Section 46 of the

Calcutta Police Act for the issue of a warrant. There is no apparent defect on the face of the warrant before me.

Lastly, it has been objected to the validity of the warrant that it was misdirected. The warrant authorizes the entry of the premises occupied by

the first accused "" at No. 239, Ayya Pillai Street, Georgetown, Madras"". It is contended that this is a thoroughly erroneous description of the

premises wherein the first accused carries on the All India Printing Works, the business being carried on at No. 19/3, Venkatachalla Mudal Street,

Park Town, Madras. A warrant will of course only authorize the entry of the premises named in the warrant. Some cases have been cited. The

principle to be deducted from them is that a faulty description of the premises by number or locality is not fatal if the description is nevertheless

sufficient to identify the premises named in the warrant : see Emperor v. Krishna Rutna Dalvi (1904) 6 Bom. L.R. 52, Emperor v. Abashai ILR

(1925) 50 Bom. 344 and Emperor v. Jhunni (1905) 2 Crl. L.J. 243. The question is whether the description in the warrant sufficiently identifies the

building to be entered. It is proved by the evidence that the door of the particular premises bears two numbers, of which 19/3 is the Municipal

number and 239 the Censes number, are situate has been named Venkatachalla Mudali Street by the Municipality, it is popularly known as Ayya

Pillai Street. In fact, the alternative name is recognised by the Post Office, and arrangements have been made in the Postal sorting department for

the delivery of letters addressed to Ayya Pillai Street in Venkatachalla Mudali Street. In these circumstances I think that the premises are

sufficiently described in the warrant. Georgetown and Park Town are adjoining districts, and nothing turns on the warrant placing the premises in

the one rather than in the other. In my judgment there is no substance in the objection to the warrant on the ground of misdescription.

The warrant and the seizure being good, the presumption arises, u/s 43 of the Police Act, from the discovery of the instruments of gaming, vis,,

the betting slips, on the premises and on the persons of accused 2, 3, 6 and 7, that the place was being used as a common gaming place and that

the persons found therein were present for the purpose of gaming. ""Gaming"", it should be observed, is made by Madras Act XIII of 1929 to

include betting on a horse-race, and "" instruments of gaming"" to include any documents used as a record or evidence of gaming. The learned

Counsel has argued that there was no evidence to support the conviction of accused 1 who was not in the premises when they were raided. But I

think that the facts that his clerks were found in his office with betting slips and money, and that people were engaged in betting on the pial of the

building, afforded evidence on which the Magistrate could find that the first accused was keeping the place or permitting it to be kept as a common

gaming house.

I have already referred to the fact that when the office room was raided a sum of Rs. 187-4-1 was found in the open drawer of the table at

which fourth accused was seated, and that Rs. 416-1-0 was found on forcing open the locked drawer of the other table. All this money has been

declared forfeited by the Magistrate u/s 47 of the Act. A warrant authorizes the seizure of all monies "" reasonably suspected to have been used or

intended to be used for the purpose of gaming "" which are found on the premises. I think that the police were quite justified in seizing the money.

But the Act does not contemplate forfeiture following seizure as a matter of course. Section 47 says that on conviction the Magistrate may order all

instruments of gaming to be destroyed, and all or any of the other articles seized (which would include money), to be forfeited. But before ordering

forfeiture the Magistrate must be satisfied that the money or other articles seized were used or intended to be used for gaming. In Lachmi Narain

Marwari and Another Vs. Emperor, . Mr. Justice Bucknill expressed the opinion that private property of an individual found in a common gaming

house should not be forfeited unless there were clear grounds for thinking that it was used or intended to be used for. gaming purposes. I agree

with that view. The learned Magistrate was evidently impressed by the fact that on the tables were found publications of racing intelligence and

betting slips. But it does not seem to have been brought to his notice that the bets covered by the betting slips found on the two tables only

amounted Rs. 100, a sum far below the amount of money found in the two drawers. This circumstance, taken with the fact that the sum of Rs. 416

was kept in a separate locked drawer, in the office where the first accused carried on the legitimate business of printer, raises a fair inference that

this particular money was not money used for betting. I think that the sum of Rs. 416-1-0 ought not to have been forfeited, and I direct that it be

refunded to the first accused. Otherwise, this petition fails and is dismissed.