{
  "act_title": "The Poisons Act, 1919",
  "act_no": "XII",
  "act_year": "1919",
  "publication_date": "19/07/2025",
  "sections": [
    {
      "section_content": "1.(1) This Act may be called, thePoisons Act, 1919.(2) \tIt extends to the whole of Bangladesh."
    },
    {
      "section_content": "2.(1) The Government may by rule regulate within the whole or any part of2[Bangladesh] the possession for sale and the sale, whether wholesale or retail, of any specified poison.(2) \tIn particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for-(a) \tthe grant of licences to possess any specified poison for sale, wholesale or retail, and the fixing of the fee (if any) to be charged for such licences;(b) \tthe classes of persons to whom alone such licences may be granted;(c) \tthe classes of persons to whom alone any such poison may be sold;(d) \tthe maximum quantity of any such poison which may be sold to any one person;(e) \tthe maintenance by vendors of any such poison of registers of sales, the particulars to be entered in such registers, and the inspection of the same;(f) \tthe safe custody of such poisons and the labelling of the vessels, packages or coverings in which any such poison is sold or possessed for sale; and(g) \tthe inspection and examination of any such poison when possessed for sale by any such vendor."
    },
    {
      "section_content": "3. The Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, prohibit, except under and in accordance with the conditions of a licence, the importation into Bangladesh across any customs frontier defined by the Government of any specified poison, and may by rule regulate the grant of licences."
    },
    {
      "section_content": "4.(1)\tThe Government may by rule regulate the possession of any specified poison in any local area in which the use of such poison for the purpose of committing murder or mischief by poisoning cattle appears to it to be of such frequent occurrence as to render restrictions on the possession thereof desirable.(2) In making any rule under sub-section (1), the Government may direct that any breach thereof shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to one thousand Taka, or with both, together with confiscation of the poison in respect of which the breach has been committed, and of the vessels, packages or coverings in which the same is found."
    },
    {
      "section_content": "5.\tAny substance specified as a poison in a rule made or notification issued under this Act shall be deemed to be a poison for the purpose of this Act."
    },
    {
      "section_content": "6.(1) Whoever-(a)\tcommits a breach of any rule made under section 2, or(b) \timports without a licence into Bangladesh across a customs frontier defined by the Government any poison the importation of which is for the time being restricted under section 3, or(c) \tbreaks any condition of a licence for the importation of any poison granted to him under section 3,shall be punishable,-(i) \ton a first conviction, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred Taka, or with both, and(ii) on a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand Taka, or with both.(2) \tAny poison in respect of which an offence has been committed under this section, together with the vessels, packages or coverings in which the same is found, shall be liable to confiscation."
    },
    {
      "section_content": "7.(1) The District Magistrate,3[the Sub-divisional Magistrate and, in4[a Metropolitan Area], the Police Commissioner], may issue a warrant for the search of any place in which he has reason to believe or to suspect that any poison is possessed or sold in contravention of this Act or any rule thereunder, or that any poison liable to confiscation under this Act is kept or concealed.(2) \tThe person to whom the warrant is directed may enter and search the place in accordance therewith, and the provisions of theCode of Criminal Procedure, 1898, relating to search warrants shall, as far as may be, be deemed to apply to the execution of the warrant."
    },
    {
      "section_content": "8.(1) In addition to any other power to make rules hereinbefore conferred the Government may make rules generally to carry out the purposes and objects of this Act5[***].(2) \tEvery power to make rules conferred by this Act shall be subject to the condition of the rules being made after previous publication.(3) \tAll rules made by the6[* * *] Government under this Act shall be published in the official Gazette and on such publication shall have effect as if enacted in this Act."
    },
    {
      "section_content": "9.(1) Nothing in this Act or in any licence granted or rule made thereunder shall extend to, or interfere with, anything done in good faith in the exercise of his profession as such by a medical or veterinary practitioner.(2) \tNotwithstanding anything hereinbefore contained, the Government may by general or special order declare that all or any of the provisions of this Act7[* * *] shall be deemed not to apply to any article or class of articles of commerce specified in such order, or to any poison or class of poisons used for any purpose so specified.(3)8[The Government] may, by general or special order, either wholly or partially-(a) \texempt from the operation of any such rules, or(b) \texclude from the scope of the exemption provided by sub-section (1),any person or class of persons either generally or in respect of any poisons specified in the order."
    },
    {
      "section_content": "10.\t[Repealed by the Repealing Act, 1927 (Act No. XII of 1927).]"
    }
  ],
  "footnotes": [
    {
      "footnote_text": "1Throughout this Act, except otherwise provided, the words \"Bangladesh\", \"Government\" and \"Taka\" were substituted, for the words \"Pakistan\", \"Provincial Government\" or \"Central Government\" or \"Central Government or by the Provincial Government\" and \"rupees\" respectively by section 3 and 2nd Schedule of theBangladesh Laws (Revision And Declaration) Act, 1973(Act No. VIII of 1973)"
    },
    {
      "footnote_text": "2The word \"Bangladesh\" was substituted, for the words \"the territories under its administration\" by section 3 and 2nd Schedule of theBangladesh Laws (Revision And Declaration) Act, 1973(Act No. VIII of 1973)"
    },
    {
      "footnote_text": "3The words and commas \"the Sub-divisional Magistrate and, in the Dacca Metropolitan Area, the Police Commissioner\" were substituted, for the words \"and the Sub-divisional Magistrate\" by the Schedule of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Amendment) Ordinance, 1976 (Ordinance No. LXIX of 1976)"
    },
    {
      "footnote_text": "4The words \"a Metropolitan Area\" were substituted, for the words \"the Dacca Metropolitan Area\" by the Schedule III of theChittagong Metropolitan Police Ordinance, 1978(Ordinance No. XLVIII of 1978)"
    },
    {
      "footnote_text": "5The words and figure \"except section 3\" were omitted by section 3 and 2nd Schedule of theBangladesh Laws (Revision And Declaration) Act, 1973(Act No. VIII of 1973)"
    },
    {
      "footnote_text": "6The words \"Central Government or by the Provincial\" were omitted by section 3 and 2nd Schedule of theBangladesh Laws (Revision And Declaration) Act, 1973(Act No. VIII of 1973)"
    },
    {
      "footnote_text": "7The words and figure \"except section 3\" were omitted by section 3 and 2nd Schedule of theBangladesh Laws (Revision And Declaration) Act, 1973(Act No. VIII of 1973)"
    },
    {
      "footnote_text": "8The words \"The Government\" were substituted, for the words \"The authority on which any power to make rules under this Act is conferred\" by section 3 and 2nd Schedule of theBangladesh Laws (Revision And Declaration) Act, 1973(Act No. VIII of 1973)"
    }
  ],
  "copyright_info": {
    "copyright_text": "Copyright©2019, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs DivisionMinistry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs"
  },
  "source_url": "http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-print-114.html",
  "fetch_timestamp": "2025-07-19 02:07:51",
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    "act_no_from_csv": "XII",
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    "is_repealed": false
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  "language": "english",
  "government_context": {
    "govt_system": "British Colonial Rule",
    "position_head_govt": "Governor of Bengal",
    "head_govt_name": "Earl of Ronaldshay (Lawrence Dundas)",
    "head_govt_designation": "Governor of Bengal Province",
    "how_got_power": "British Crown appointment",
    "period_years": "1917-1922",
    "years_in_power": 5
  },
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    "period_info": {
      "period_name": "British Crown Rule",
      "year_range": "1858-1947",
      "act_year": 1919
    },
    "legal_framework": {
      "primary_laws": [
        "Government of India Act 1858",
        "Indian Penal Code 1860",
        "Code of Civil Procedure 1908",
        "Evidence Act 1872"
      ],
      "court_system": [
        "High Courts (1861)",
        "District Courts",
        "Magistrate Courts"
      ],
      "legal_basis": "Codified British-Indian legal system",
      "enforcement_mechanism": "Imperial Police Service and civil courts"
    },
    "government_system": {
      "type": "Crown Colony Administration",
      "structure": "Viceroy and provincial governors",
      "revenue_collection": "Imperial taxation system",
      "administrative_units": [
        "Provinces",
        "Districts",
        "Sub-districts"
      ]
    },
    "policing_system": {
      "law_enforcement": "Police Act 1861 - structured police force",
      "military_police": "Imperial Police Service",
      "jurisdiction": "Provincial police under colonial control"
    },
    "land_relations": {
      "tenure_system": "Zamindari, Ryotwari, and Mahalwari systems",
      "property_rights": "Colonial property law framework",
      "revenue_system": "Land revenue administration",
      "peasant_status": "Various tenant classes with limited rights"
    },
    "key_characteristics": [
      "Codification of laws (Penal Code, CPC, Evidence Act)",
      "Structured civil service system",
      "Constitutional developments (1909, 1919, 1935 Acts)",
      "Bengal Tenancy Act 1885 and amendments",
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    ],
    "context_added_timestamp": "2025-07-19 20:26:24"
  }
}