Under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, a person who contravenes a CONTROL ORDER under Section 3 is, as a general rule, punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to:

Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 prescribes the punishment for contravening any order made under Section 3: IMPRISONMENT for a term which may extend to SEVEN YEARS, and also FINE (in the case of most essential commodities, at least the minimum fine prescribed), with a higher minimum for certain categories where the Court may impose a sentence of RIGOROUS IMPRISONMENT. The severity reflects the commodity being essential to public supply. The seven-year ceiling (with fine) for the ordinary contravention is a standard section-7 memory point. It anchors the Act's penal teeth.