Section 17 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Section 17 is short, but it is what officers ask for first at an inspection. It requires every manufacturer, repairer or dealer of a weight or measure to maintain the records and registers that are prescribed, and to produce them when a section 15 officer arrives. The section is not amended by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 or the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026.
Every manufacturer, repairer or dealer of a weight or measure must maintain such records and registers as may be prescribed, and must produce them at the time of inspection to persons authorised under section 15(1). The Central General Rules, 2011 (rule 24) require a register in the form of the Eleventh Schedule, unless the Director exempts the person by order. Failing to keep or produce them is an offence under section 31.
Sub-section (1): who must keep records
"Every manufacturer, repairer or dealer of weight or measure shall maintain such records and registers as may be prescribed."
The three categories come from section 2:
| Person | Definition in section 2 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer (2(i)) | One who manufactures a weight or measure, or manufactures some parts and acquires others, or assembles parts made by others, or puts his own mark on a weight or measure made by another, and claims it as his own |
| Repairer (2(p)) | One who repairs a weight or measure, including one who adjusts, cleans, lubricates or paints it or renders any other service so that it conforms to the standards |
| Dealer (2(b)) | One who carries on, directly or otherwise, the business of buying, selling, supplying or distributing a weight or measure, for cash, deferred payment or commission; includes a commission agent, an importer, and a manufacturer who sells to a person other than a dealer |
If you are unsure which category you fall in, a legal consultation can settle it quickly. Note what the section does not say. It is not addressed to every trader who merely uses a scale for weighing goods; a grocer who only uses a counter scale is a user, not a dealer of weights or measures. The duty falls on those in the business of making, repairing or dealing in the instruments. The duty of a user is verification under section 24.
An importer is within "dealer" under section 2(b), so a registered importer of weights or measures (see sections 19 and 20) also falls under this duty.
Who prescribes the registers?
The Act splits the power:
- State Government rules under section 53(2)(b) deal with "registers and records to be maintained by persons referred to under sub-section (1) of section 17". State rules are not in the sources reviewed for this article, so the State-specific content of the registers is not described here.
- Central rules also speak to it. Rule 24 of the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011 is headed "Register and reports to be maintained by persons referred to in Section 17 of the Act".
Rule 24 of the General Rules
- Rule 24(1): every person referred to in section 17(1) must maintain a register "in the appropriate form set out in Eleventh Schedule".
- Rule 24(2): despite sub-rule (1), if the Director thinks, having regard to the nature or volume of the business of a maker, manufacturer, dealer or repairer, that it is necessary, he may by order exempt that person from sub-rule (1).
The Eleventh Schedule is in the source as a two-column OCR scan and its columns are not cleanly legible, so this article does not reproduce the headings of the register. Obtain the current form from the Controller's office or the Schedule itself.
The rule heading mentions "reports" as well as registers, but the operative sub-rules we could read speak only of the register. If your State asks for periodic returns, that would come from State rules or orders; check them.
Sub-section (2): production at inspection
"The records and registers maintained under sub-section (1) shall be produced at the time of inspection to the persons authorised for the said purpose under sub-section (1) of section 15."
That links section 17 to section 15: the Director, the Controller or a legal metrology officer who enters premises under section 15(1) may inspect "any record, register or other document relating" to weights, measures or goods, and section 15(2) lets them require production of every document. See our article on section 15. Section 17(2) removes any argument: the register must be available on the spot, not produced later at the owner's convenience.
Consequence of default
Section 31 punishes whoever, "being required by or under this Act or the rules made thereunder to submit returns, maintain any record or register", or required by an officer to produce a weight or measure or any document, register or other record, "omits or fails without any reasonable excuse, so to do".
| Layer | Penalty under section 31 |
|---|---|
| As enacted in 2010 | Fine up to Rs 5,000; for the second or subsequent offence, imprisonment up to one year and also fine |
| After the 2023 Act (in force) | Fine up to Rs 25,000; second offence fine up to Rs 50,000; third and subsequent offence fine up to Rs 1 lakh |
| 2026 Act (enacted; in force only from the notified date) | First offence warned with an improvement notice; second offence penalty up to Rs 25,000; later offences fine as the amending text prints it (see our section 31 article) |
A false register is a separate matter: section 41(2) deals with maintaining a record or register "false in material particulars".
Practical points
- Keep the register current at the place where the business is carried on. "Premises" in section 2(n) includes a godown, a place where books of account are kept and a vehicle used for business.
- If the register is kept electronically, make sure it can be shown at inspection. The Act and rule 24 speak of a "register in the appropriate form"; they do not say anything about electronic registers, so ask the Controller's office if you plan to keep it only in electronic form.
- If the Director has exempted you under rule 24(2), keep the exemption order with your papers.
Example 1. A scale repairer adjusts twenty counter machines in a month but keeps only handwritten notes. At inspection, the officer asks for the register in the prescribed form. Without it, section 31 is engaged unless he has a reasonable excuse.
Example 2. A manufacturer holds a Director's order exempting it from the register under rule 24(2). It produces the order at inspection. Rule 24(2) supports the position, because the exemption is granted by order.
Need help with inspection records?
If you make, repair or deal in weights and measures and want your registers checked against the prescribed form before an inspection, or if you have received a notice for not producing records, legal consultation is the right starting point. Bring the register, any licence or registration papers and your State's rules.
Key takeaways
- Manufacturers, repairers and dealers of weights or measures must keep the prescribed records and registers (section 17(1)).
- They must be produced at inspection to officers authorised under section 15(1) (section 17(2)).
- Rule 24 of the General Rules requires a register in the Eleventh Schedule form, subject to a Director's exemption by order.
- State rules under section 53(2)(b) may add to the records; they are not in our sources.
- Failure without reasonable excuse attracts section 31.
Read next
- Section 16 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: Forfeiture of seized weights and packages
- Section 18 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: Declarations on pre-packaged commodities
- Section 31 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: Penalty for non-production of documents
- Compliance Checklist for Packaged Goods Manufacturers
Disclaimer: Based on the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (Act 1 of 2010) as enacted, read with the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (in force) and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (in force only from the date the Central Government notifies); section 17 is not amended by either Act, while section 31 is. Also based on the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011, as on 30 September 2026. State Legal Metrology rules, later amendments and notifications change; verify the current position before acting.