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1968 (10) TMI 46 - SUPREME COURTWhether under the circumstances of the case the confiscation ordered by the Collector, Central Excise is illegal? Whether under any circumstances he could not have confiscated the entire quantity of tobacco used in the mixture? Held that:- At the same time no person can be permitted to benefit by his wrongful act. No rule of law should be so interpreted as to permit or encourage its circumvention. If by the wrongful act of a party he renders it impossible for the authorities to confiscate under Rule 40 the non-duty paid goods, it is in our opinion open to those authorities to confiscate from out of the goods seized, goods of the value reasonably representing the value of the non-duty paid goods mixed in the goods seized. Applying that rule to the facts of this case, it follows that the Collector Central Excise could have confiscated out of the tobacco seized so much of it as can be held to reasonably represented the value of the tobacco on which the duty had not been paid. As noticed earlier the tobacco confiscated had been returned to the appellants after realising from them a sum of ₹ 1 lac. as fine. The Counsel for the parties agreed at the hearing that the value of the Biri Patti tobacco used in the mixture for which no duty had been paid could be fixed at ₹ 35,000/-. In view of this agreement it is not necessary for us to remit the case back to the Collector of Central Excise for assessing the value of the tobacco on which duty had not been paid. In view of our earlier findings the fine to be levied on the appellants in lieu of the confiscation that could have been ordered has to be fixed at ₹ 35,000/-. From this it follows that the Collector has to refund to the appellants a sum of ₹ 65,000/- which he has collected from them in excess of the aforementioned ₹ 35,000/-. The appeal is allowed to that extent. In the circumstances of the case we direct the parties to bear their own costs both in this Court as well as before the High Court.
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