Central Excise Act, 1944 · Chapter III: Powers and Duties of Officers and Landholders
Section 14: Power to summon persons to give evidence and produce documents in inquiries under this Act
(1) Any Central Excise Officer duly empowered by the Central Government in this behalf shall have power to summon any person whose attendance he considers necessary either to give evidence or to produce a document or any other thing in any inquiry which such officer is making for any of the purposes of this Act. A summons to produce documents or other things may be for the production of certain specified documents or things or for the production of all documents or things of a certain description in the possession or under the control of the person summoned.
(2) All persons so summoned shall be bound to attend, either in person or by an authorised agent, as such officer may direct; and all persons so summoned shall be bound to state the truth upon any subject respecting which they are examined or make statements and to produce such documents and other things as may be required:
Provided that the exemptions under Sections 132 and 133 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908) shall be applicable to requisitions of attendance under this section.
(3) Every such inquiry as aforesaid shall be deemed to be a "judicial proceeding" within the meaning of Section 193 and Section 228 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (45 of 1860).
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 14
- Vijay Madanlal Choudhary & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.
- Tofan Singh v. State of Tamil Nadu
- Tofan Singh v. State of Tamil Nadu
- Union of India and Ors. v. M/S Nitdip Textile Processors Pvt. Ltd. and Another
- Commissioner of Central Excise, Mumbai v. M/S. Kalvert Foods India Pvt. Ltd. and Ors.
- Commissioner of Customs (Port), Chennai v. M/S. Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt.Ltd.
- Union of India and Anr. v. M/S. G.T.C. Industries Ltd., Bombay
- D.P. Lon v. Collector of Central Excise and Customs
- The Assistant Collector of Central Excise, Rajamundry v. Duncan Agro Industries Ltd. and Ors.