Rice stocks seized and auctioned under Essential Commodities Act in Rajanna-Siricilla
Civil supplies officials seized 440 quintals and 450 quintals of rice with lorry and trolleys in April 2022 and started confiscation cases under Section 6-A. The perishable stocks were auctioned and Rs 7,04,000 and Rs 7,20,000 deposited with the government. The Telangana High Court Division Bench on 07.08.2025 declined to quash the seizures and left the owners to appeal under Section 6-C.
This page records what the cited court, tribunal and government records say happened. Findings belong to the court or authority that made them; this register adds none of its own. Names of private individuals are withheld unless a naming gate clears them.
How we verify →Seizure and auction stand; confiscation proceedings were directed to conclude, with further appeal available under Section 6-C.
What happened
The High Court recorded that 440 quintals in 880 bags of rice were seized under Panchanama dated 17.04.2022 and 450 quintals in 900 bags with lorry and trolleys under Panchanama dated 16.04.2022, both made the subject of Section 6-A confiscation proceedings.
The High Court recorded that since the commodity was perishable, it was sold in public auction under Section 6-A(2)(ii) and the proceeds of Rs.7,04,000 and Rs.7,20,000 were deposited in the government account by challan dated 06.09.2022 while 6-A proceedings were pending.
The High Court recorded that the writ court had directed the Collector to conclude Section 6-A proceedings within four weeks with liberty to raise the plea that rice is not an essential commodity, and the owners appealed against that direction.
The High Court held that rice and paddy fall within essential commodities following earlier Division Bench rulings, found no ground to interfere, disposed of the appeals, and left the owners to appeal under Section 6-C if aggrieved by the concluded confiscation orders.
What the record says
“440 quintals in 880 bags of rice were seized under cover of Panchanama dated 17.04.2022, which was the subject matter of confiscation proceedings under Section 6-A of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (hereinafter referred to as, 'the 1955 Act').”
W.A. Nos. 344 and 355 of 2024, para 2 — read the full text
A peaceful economic act
Storing and moving rice was treated as hoarding/contravention punishable by seizure and confiscation; the order alleges no violence, fraud, PDS diversion, adulteration or other victim-harming act.
What we could not confirm
The order does not reproduce the panchanama grounds (stock-limit vs no-paper allegation) and does not state PDS origin; it was selected because no PDS diversion, cheating or adulteration is alleged in the order. Underlying Collector's confiscation order was not separately opened.