Section 11 — Cognizance of offences.

Essential Commodities Act, 1955

11.  Cognizance of offences.―No Court shall take cognizance of any offence punishable under 

this Act except on a report in writing of the facts constituting such offence made by a person who is a 

public servant as defined in section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of I860)
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[or any person 

aggrieved or any recognised consumer association, whether such person is a member of that 

association or not]. 
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[Explanation.―For the purposes of this section and section 12AA, “recognised consumer 

association” means a voluntary consumer association registered under the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 

1956) or any other law for the time being in force.]

Source notes

Document extract. Section boundaries were matched to the arrangement of sections in the official source. Original formatting and footnote placement can differ; check the linked document.