Legal Metrology department conducts inspections to establish and enforce ‘The Legal Metrology Act 2009’ which is “An Act to establish and enforce standards of weights and measures, regulate trade and commerce in weights, measures and other goods which are sold or distributed by weight, measure or number and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.” and the rules and orders made there under. The types of inspections conducted are,
K CIS – Inspections
Complaint – Inspections
Routine – Inspections
Special Drive – Inspections
Net content – Inspections
Fuel Dispensers – Inspections
Other weights and measures – Inspections
Combined inspections – inspections
K CIS – Inspections
After implementation of the of the Kerala – Central Inspection System (K-CIS) on 01/08/2021, The Legal Metrology Department conducts regular K CIS inspections which are scheduled, conducted and recorded in the K-CIS online mechanism and following its norms.
Complaints – Inspection
Legal Metrology department conducts inspections in relation with the complaints received, after analyzing the genuineness, actions are taken upon by the enforcement officers having jurisdiction in the place of commission of offense. In case of any violations detected, cases are booked against and proper information regarding inspections are communicated to the complainants.
Regular – Inspections
Legal Metrology officers in exercise of powers and discharge of duties conduct inspections in trade premises of their jurisdiction, with a view to establish and enforce the ‘The Legal Metrology Act 2009’ and the rules and orders made thereunder.
Special drive – Inspections
Special drive inspections are combined inspections conducted by the Legal Metrology officers in respect of any specific subject, category, trade or type decided and communicated by the controlling offices.
Net content – inspections
Net Content inspections are conducted with a view to ascertaining whether any package or lot of packages complies with the provisions of the ‘Legal Metrology Packaged Commodities Rules 2011’ in all respects and to ascertain the error in net quantity of any pre- packaged commodity with respect to its permissible error. This inspection is normally conducted in the premises of the manufacturers, packers and importers of pre-packaged commodities.
Fuel Dispensers – Inspection
Fuel dispensers are regularly inspected to ensure that the delivered quantity of fuel is with in the maximum permissible error and no alterations has been made to the sealed compartments and calibration unit and devices.
Other weights and measures – Inspection
Weighing machines such as
- Automatic Rail Weigh bridge
- Automatic Gravimetric Filling Instrument
- Discontinuous Totalizing Automatic Weighing Instrument (Totalizing Hopper Weighers)
- Automatic Instruments For Weighing Road Vehicles In Motion And Measuring Axle Loads
and measuring instruments such as,
- Volumetric Container Filling Machines
- Bulk Meters
- Water Meter (Domestic Type)
- Volumetric Container Type Liquid Measuring Device
- Thermometers
- Sphygmomanometers
- Taxi Meters
- Vertical Storage tanks
are inspected.
Combined inspections – inspection
Legal Metrology Department conducts combined inspections with other departments as directed by the government.
‘The Legal Metrology Act 2009’ section 15 empowers Legal Metrology officers for conduct of inspections,
15. Power of inspection, seizure, etc. –
(1) The Director, Controller or any legal metrology officer may, if he has any reason to believe, whether from any information given to him by any person and taken down in writing or from personal knowledge or otherwise, that any weight or measure or other goods in relation to which any trade and commerce has taken place or is intended to take place and in respect of which an offence punishable under this Act appears to have been, or is likely to be, committed are either kept or concealed in any premises or are in the course of transportation,—
(a) enter at any reasonable time into any such premises and search for and inspect any weight, measure or other goods in relation to which trade and commerce has taken place, or is intended to take place and any record, register or other document relating thereto;
(b) seize any weight, measure or other goods and any record, register or other document or article which he has reason to believe may furnish evidence indicating that an offence punishable under this Act has been, or is likely to be, committed in the course of, or in relation to, any trade and commerce.
(2) The Director, Controller or any legal metrology officer may also require the production of every
document or other record relating to the weight or measure referred to in sub-section (1) and the person having the custody of such weight or measure shall comply with such requisition.
(3) Where any goods seized under sub-section (1) are subject to speedy or natural decay, the Director, Controller or legal metrology officer may dispose of such goods in such manner as may be prescribed.
(4) Every search or seizure made under this section shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), relating to searches and seizures.
( The reference of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) shall be read as the BharatiyaNagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (46 of 2023) (BNSS) as per S.O. 2790(E) notification dated 16 July, 2024 by Ministry of Law and Justice.)