G. GRIDHAR PRABHU AND ORS. v. •• AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE MARKET COMMITTEE

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

S.N. VARIAVA, J. These Appeals are against a Judgment dated 2nd April, 1998. F Briefly stated the facts are as follows: . ... The Appellants purchase raw cashew nut and after subjecting the same to process of manufacture extract cashew kernel. The cashew kernel is then sold by them all over India as well as in International markets. Both c~shew G nut and cashew kernel are Notified Agticultural Produce under the Schedule to the Karnataka Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act, 1966 (hereinafter called the said Act). The Appellants have licences under the said Act as Importers, Traders, Exporters and Producers from the Market Com- mittee. The Appellants are paying market fee as per the provisions of Section 65(2A) when they purchase cashew nnt. H

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A The Market Committee issued Notices to the Appellants directing them to collect market fee from their buyers and pay the same to the Connnittee in respect of transactions of sales of cashew kernel. These Notices were issued under the provisions of Section 65(2A)(iii) of the said Act.

The Appellants filed a Writ Petition in the High Court of Kerala praying B for declaration that they were "Producers" of cashew kernel and, therefore, were not liable to collect the market fee from their purchasers and pay the same to the Committee. They also sought a declaration that as producers of cashew kernel they did not even require a license. The Appellants sought directions from the Court to quash the Notices issued by the Market Com- c mittee and to re~train the Market Committee from recovering market fee from them. This Writ Petition came to be dismissed by a single Judge of the High Court on 21st August, 1996. The Appellants then filed a Writ Appeal which also came to be dismissed by the impugned Judgment dated 2nd April, 1998.

The controversy in these Appeals is very limited. There is no dispute D that the Appellants are purchasing cashew nut and by a process of manufac- ture extracting cashew kernel. There is no controversy and no dispute that on the purchase transactions the Appellants are paying market fee. There is also no dispute that on the sale transactions, of cashew kernel, market fee is payable. The only dispute is whether the Market Committee can insist that the Appellants realize the market fee from their purchasers and pay it to the E Market Committee or whether the Market Committee has to collect the market fee directly from the purchasers of cashew kernel.

For an understanding of this question certain provisions of the said Act require to be looked at. The Preamble to the said Act lays down that it is an Act to provide for the better regulation of marketing of agricultural produce and the establishment and administration of markets for agricultural produce in the State of Kamataka. Section 2(1) of the said Act defines "Agricultural Produce" as follows:

"2(1). "Agricultural Produce" means the produce or goods specified in the Schedule."

It is an admitted position that iuitially under Item 8 of the Schedule only cashew nut was included as an Item. Market fee was sought to be levied on cashew kernel. The Mangalore Cashew Manufacturing Association chal- lenged this levy in the High Court of Kerala. The High Court held tliat cashew H

G. GRIDHAR PRABHU v. AGRJCULTURALPROCUDEMARKET COMMITTEE [S.N. VARlAVA, J,) 333 kernel was not included in the Schedule to the said Act a.'ld it was thus not A a Notified Agricultural Produce. Pursuant to this decision the State Govern- •· ment issued a Notification under Section 5 read with Section 3 of the Act and included cashew kernel also in the Schedule. Thus, now both cashew nut and cashew kernel are two separate items in the Schedule to the said Act.

Sections 2(5), 2(13), 2(14), 2(14A), 2(18A), 2(21), 2(28), 2(32), 2(33), B 2(34) and 2(48) of the said Act are relevant. They read as follows:

"2(5). "Buyer' or "purchaser' means a person who buys or agrees to buy goods;

2(13). "Expand' means a person other than a producer who c exports goods or causes goods to be exported on one's own account or as agent of another person, from the market area outside such area for the purpose of selling, processing, manufacturing or for any other purpose except for the purpose of one's O\\:'.n domestic consumption, but shall not include a public carrier.

2(14). "Goods" means any kind of notified agricultural produce.

2(14A) "lmportef' means a person who imports or causes goods to be imported on his own account or as an agent for another person from outside the market area into a market area for the purpose of selling, processing, manufacturing or for any other pmpose except for one's own domestic consumption, but shall not include a public carrier.

2(18A) "Marketing" means buying and selling of agricultural produce and includes grading, processing, storage, trans- port, packaging, market information and channels of dis- tribution.

2(21). "Market functionary" or "functionary" includes a broker. a commission agent, an exporter, a ginner, an importer, a G presser, a processor, a stockist, a trader, and such other person as may be declared under the rules or the bye-laws to be a market functionary.

2(28). "Notified agricultural produce" means any agricultural produce which the State Government has by notification H

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A issued under Sections 4 and 5 declared as an agricultural produce the marketing of which shall be regulated in the market area.

2(32). "Process" means any one of the series of treatments to which raw agricultural produce is subjected to make it fit B to use or consumption.

2(33). "Pmcessor' means a person who processes notified agri- cultural produce by mechanical means.

2(34) "Pmducd' means a person who produces notified ag1i- c cultural produce on one's own account.-

(i) by one's own labour; or

(ii) by the Jabour of any member of one's family; or

D (iii) under the personal supervision of oneself or any member of one's family by hired labour or by servants on wages payable in cash or kind but not in share of the produce.

2(48). "Trader' means a person who buys notified agricultural produce either for himself or as agent of one or more E persons for the purpose of selling, processing, manufactur- ing or for any other purpose, except for the purpose of domestic consumption."

The levy is under Section 65(1) of the Act. The mode of collection is p provided under Section 65(2-A) of the said Act. It reads as follows:

"65(2-A). The market fee payable under this section shall be realised as follows, namely.-

(i) if the produce is sold tluough a commission agent, the commission agent shall realise the market fee from the purchaser and shall be liable to pay the same to the committee;

(ia) if the produce is sold by an importer to the purchaser, the importer shall realise the market fee from the purchaser and shall be liable to pay the same to the committee;

G. GRIDHAR PRAEHU v. AGRICULTURALPROCUDEMARKET COMMITTEE {S.N. VARIAVA, J.] 335 (ii) if the produce is pm·chased directly by a trader from a A producer, the trader shall be liable to pay the market fee II to the committee;

(iii) if the produce is purchased by a trader from another trader, the trader selling the produce shall realise it from the purchaser and shall be liable to pay the market fee to the B committee; and

(iv) in any other case of sale of such produce, the purchaser T shall be liable to pay the market fee to the committee."

The Market Committee called upon the Appellants to collect and pay the c market fee on tl1e footing that the Appellants are traders who were selling the produce to other traders. The Appellants claim that they are producers

- of cashew kernel and, therefore, sub-clause (ii) would apply. The Appellants claim that if sub- clause (ii) does not apply then sub-clause (iv) would apply. ~ The question therefore is whether the Appellants are producers or whether D they are traders.

As is seen from the definition under Section 2(48) a trader is any person, who (a) buys Notified Agricultural Produce, (b) either for himself or as agent of one or more persons, (c) for the pmpose of selling, processing, manufacturing or any other purpose and (d) except for the pmpose of E " domestic consmnption. There is no dispute that the Appellants are traders when they purchase cashew nut, which is a Notified Agricultural Produce. In such purchase transaction they are also importers. As such traders and importers they have obtained a licence and are paying market fee. It is, however, submitted that even though they may be trac!ers/importers in the F purchase transactions, they are not traders or exporters when they sell cashew

... ~ kernel. It is submitted that they are Producers of cashew kernel. It is submitted that in the Schedule lo tl1e said Act cashew nut and cashew kernel are shown • as two separate and distinct commodities. It is submitted that U1e State Goverr-1llent accepted the Judgment of the High Court of Kerala as con-eel and implemented the Judgment by incorporating the term "cashew kernel" as G a separate items in the Schedule. It is submitted that the Appellants are Producers under Section 2(34) as lhe Appellants produce a Notified Agricul- tural Produce, i.e. cashew kernel on their own account, under their persona[ supervision and by hired labour or servants on wages paid in cash. It is submitted that they fall within the definition of the term "Producer" and are, H

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A therefore, governed by sub-clause (ii) of Section 65(2-A). It is submitted that in any event their sale of cashew kernel would not be a sale from a trader to a trader. It is submitted that if sub-clause (ii) did not apply, they would fall under sub-clause (iv) of Section 65(2-A).

Initially, Mr. Sarangan submitted that the tenn "Trader" under Section B 2(48) can only refer to a person who buys. He initially submitted that the tenn "Trader" cannot apply to a person who sells a Notified Agriculture Produce. However to be noted that under the definition mere buying was not enough. The. buying had to be for the purpose of selling or processing or manufacturing or for any o!her purpose. The buying had to be for a purpose c other than domestic consumption. When this was pointed out to him the answer sought to be given was that if a person bought and sold the same Notified Agricultural Produce, then he may be a trader, but if he bought one Notifi.ed Agricultural Produce and sold another Notified Agricultural Produce, then in the sale transaction he would not be a trader. It was submitted that cashew nut and cashew kernel were two separate and distinct Notified D Agric~ltural Produce. It was submitted that the Appellants bought cashew nut. It was submitted that they produced cashew kernel and were only selling cashew kernel. It was submitted that as they were not selling the Notified Agricultural Produce which had been bought they could not be termed as a "Trader". E In support of the submission that cashew nut and cashew kernel are two separate and distinct commodities, reliance was placed upon the case of Vijayalaxmi Cashew Company v. Dy. Commercial Tax Officer, reported in [1996] 1 SCC 468. In this case, the Appellant therein was purchasing cashew nut, extracting cashew kernel and exporting cashew kernel to foreign coun- F tiies. The question was whether they were liable to sales tax under Section 5(3) of the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956. This Court negatived an argument that the purchase was of the same goods which were exported. This Court held that cashew nut and cashew kernel were two separate and distinct commodities. G Reliance was also placed upon the case of Sita Devi v. State of Bihar, reported in [1995] Supp. 1 SCC 670. In this case the question was whether cattle could be termed as Agricultural Produce. This Court held that even though in common parlance cattle may not be considered to be an agricultural produce but as it had been included in the Schedule, under "Animal Hus- H bandry", for the purposes of this Act it became an agricultural produce. 'This

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Court held that, therefore, market fee could be levied on cattle bought and sold in an market area. Relying on this authority it was submitted that to ascertain what was an agricultural produce one had to look to the items specified in the Schedule to the Act. It was submitted that if two separate items were specified in the Schedule to the Act, then those two had to be treated as two separate and distinct items. However, it may be noted that this case also lays down that if an item, after it is taxed, is subjected to a process and changes its fmm, tl1en it can again be subjected to market fee in the different form. The exampl~s given in this case are that even though market fee is levied on cattle, subsequently milk, Ghee, butter which are obtained from the cattle could also be exigible to levy of market fee. This case, therefore, shows that by means of a process the very nature of the item may c change.

Reliance was also placed upon the case of Staie of Tamil Nadu v. Nellai Cotton Mills Ltd., reported in [1990] 2 SCC 518. In this case it has been held tliat when an Act .bas been judicially interpreted, Courts may study tl1e subsequent action or inaction of the legislature for clues as to legislative D approval or disapproval of judicial interpretation. It has been held that if the legislature by taking note of the Judgment amends the statute appropriately by not giving any different meaning fr~m the view taken by the Court, with some justification, it can be said tliat the legislature had accepted expressly or by implication the judicial interpretation. It was submitted that by amend- E ing the Schedule to include cashew kernel the State Government had accepted tl1e fact that cashew nut and cashew kernel were two separate and distinct conunodities and now they would be precluded from contending that these were not two separate and distinct commodities.

Reliance was next placed upon the case of Commissioner of Income Tax F v. N.C. Budharaja & Co., reported in (1993) 204 !TR 413. It was submitted that the word "production" has a wider connotation tl1an the word "manu- facture". In this case it is held that every manufacture would be characterised as production but every production would not amount to manufacture. It is held that when the word "production" or "produce" are used in juxtaposition G with the word "matrnfacture", they may bringing into existence new goods by a process which may or may not amount to manufacture. It is held that these words also take in all the by-products, intermediate products and '"" residual products which emerge in the course of manufacture of goods.

Respondents do not dispute that cashew nut and cashew kernel are two H

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A separate and distinct items/commodities. The Respondent's submission is that the Appellants continue to be a trader even in the sale transaction as they had bought/imported for purpose of processing and then selling. Respondents ~ contend that merely because, by a process or by manufacture, a different item comes into being does not make the processor or manufacturer a Producer. The contend that a "Producer" is one who produces the initial Notified B Agricultural Produce.

We are unable to agree with the submissions of Mr. Sarangan. As can be seen from the Prearuble the Act is to provide for better regulation of marketing of agricultural produce. In the Act certain exeipptions have been C given to Producer which exemptions have not been given either to Importer or an Exporter or a Trader. These exemptions, therefore, have been given to Producer because the Producer is the person who produces the main agricul- tural produce. The main agricultural produce, which may be a Notified Agricultural Produce, could then be converted into various other Notified Agricultural Produce/s by subjecting the sarue to a process or manufacture. D The person who so processes or manufactures a different Notified Agricul- tural Produce would not be a Producer. To be noted that an importer imports ur causes goods to be imported into the market area for the purpose of selling, processing, manufacturing or for any other purpose, except for one's own domestic consumption. Thus, it is clear that a person, who imports would not be a Producer. The import would be for purpose of selling or processing or manufacturing or for any other pmpose except for one's own domestic consumption. Similarly, the lemi "Exporter" makes it clear that an exporter is not a Producer. A trader is also is a person who buys Notified Agricultural Produce for the purpose of selling or processing or manufacturing or for any other pmpose except for the purpose of domestic consmnption. The definition of the term "Trader" is not a restrictive definition. It is not restricted to a person who only buys. If a person buys for domestic or personal consump- tion, then he would not be a trader. It is only when a person buys for the purpose of selling or processing or manufacturing that he would become a trader. Thus a person may buy, process or manufacture and then sdl. When G he processes or manufactures Notified Agricultural Produce which he had bought, it may change its character and become another Notified Ag1icultural Produce. Thus, by way of exaruples, a person may buy milk and through processes makes it into butter and/or cheese or a person may buy hides and skins and by a process make it into leather. However, merely because a H distinct and separate Notified Agricultural Produce comes into existence does

G. GRIDHAR PRABHU v. AGRICULTURALPROCUDE MARKET COMMITTEE [S.N. VARIAVA, J.) 339 not mean that the person who bought, processed and sold ceases to be a A • Trader. The term "Trader" encumbrances not just the purchase transaction but the entire transaction of purchase, processing, manufacturing and selling.

In this behalf the case of Himachal Pradesh Marketing Board v. Shankar Trading Co. Pvt. lld., reported in [1997) 2 SCC 496, is relevant. Under the Himacha! Pradesh Agricultmal Produce Markets Act, 1969, Ii- B cences were required to be taken for purchase, sale, storage or processing of agricultural produce and market fee was also payable. Producers or growers however, did not require a licence and did not have to pay market fees. The Respondent Company (therein) was producing "katha", a specified agricul- tural produce. They did this by processing Khairwood. They claimed (like C the Appellants in this case) that as producers they did not need a licence and market fees were not payable by them. This Court negatived this contention by holding that a person producing a specified agricultural produce by processing a natural product does not fulfil the requirement of being producer/ grower. It was held that the clause of the Act made it clear that only the actual grower/producer of the natural agricultural produce were to be befitted. Of D course the definition of the terms in that Act are different. However, in our view the basic principle is the same. It applies to this case also.

We also see no substa.'lce in the submission that if Section 65(2-A)(ii) did not apply, then Section 65(2-A)(iv) would apply. Section 65(2-A)(iv) is E residuary clause. It would only apply if none of the other clauses applies. As it is clear that the Appellants are Traders they squarely fall within Section 65(2-A)(iii). In fact, they may also fall within Section 65(2- A)(ia). As they fall within these two clauses there is no question of the residuary clause applying. F Under these circumstances, we see no infiimity in the Judgment of the High Court. We see no reason to interfere. The Appeals stand disinissed. There will, however, be no Order as to costs.

V.S.S. Appeals dismissed. G