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Law, attribution of knowledge of


2005 (13) SCC 552

Para 8: It could not be denied that GO No. 303 dated 15.4.1997 was published in the Official Gazette on 23.4.1997. It is settled law that once publication in the Official Gazette takes place, it is deemed to be known to all. Ignorance of law can be no excuse. Once the GO was published, from the date it was published, it became effective. As it became effective from that date, the tax was leviable at the rate of 4%. If some assessing officers, due to their own ignorance or laxity accepted returns at the rate of 2% it did not permit the High Court to ignore the law and continue such laxity to prevail. It must be remembered that the assessing officer, who had assessed wrongly, could always reopen the assessment.

Para 11: It was also submitted that since there was a lot of confusion and that number of parties including assessing officers were not clear as to what was the rate of tax, this Court should not interfere with the judgment of the High Court which has been passed on equitable basis. We see no substance in this submission. If the law is clear then it must be given effect to. Merely because the parties were unaware of the law does not mean that courts can ignore the law and provide to the contrary.


2013 (2) SCC 67

Para 8: The above statement of PW1 would clearly indicate that he had only informed the accused that he could be searched before any Magistrate or a Gazetted Officer if he so wished. The fact that the accused person has a right under Section 50 of the NDPS Act to be searched before a Gazetted Officer or a Magistrate was not made known to him. We are of the view that there is an obligation on the part of the empowered officer to inform the accused or the suspect of the existence of such a right to be searched before a Gazetted Officer or a Magistrate, if so required by him. Only if the suspect does not choose to exercise the right in spite of apprising him of his right, the empowered officer could conduct the search on the body of the person.

Para 9: We may, in this connection, also examine the general maxim "ignorantiajuris non excusat" and whether in such a situation the accused could take a defence that he was unaware of the procedure laid down in Section 50 of the NDPS Act.

Ignorance does not normally afford any defence under the criminal law, since a person is presumed to know the law.


Indisputedly ignorance of law often in reality exists, though as a general proposition, it is true, that knowledge of law must be imputed to every person. But it must be too much to impute knowledge in certain situations, for example, we cannot expect a rustic villager, totally illiterate, a poor man on the street, to be aware of the various law laid down in this country i.e. leave aside the NDPS Act. We notice this fact is also within the knowledge of the legislature, possibly for that reason the legislature in its wisdom imposed an obligation on the authorized officer acting under Section 50 of the NDPS Act to inform the suspect of his right under Section 50 to be searched in the presence of a Gazetted Officer or a Magistrate warranting strict compliance of that procedure.



Sandeep Jalan

Advocate

https://vakeelkanumber.com/

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