In Brief
A Managing Director of Castrol India Limited was prosecuted under the Standards of Weights and Measures Act for defects in packaged goods manufactured and sold by the company. The High Court dismissed his petition to quash the proceedings. The Supreme Court allowed his appeal, holding that Section 74 of the Act, which establishes vicarious liability for company officers, requires specific averments in the complaint petition proving the officer was in charge of the business concerned. Here, no such averments were made, and the Company was not even named as an accused. The Court quashed the proceedings, establishing that an officer's title alone does not suffice to establish criminal vicarious liability.
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