(1) Any person authorised in this behalf by the Central Government may, for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not the requirements of this Act have been complied with,--
         (a) require any person carrying on in India the business of fire insurance or of a seller or supplier of goods to submit to him such accounts, books or other documents or to furnish to him such information as he may reasonably think necessary, or
         (b) at any reasonable time, enter any premises occupied by any person carrying on in India the business of a seller or supplier of goods for the purposes of that business and may inspect the premises and require any person found therein who is for the time being in charge thereof, or in control of the business carried on therein, to produce to him and allow him to examine such accounts, books or other documents as may relate to the business carried on in the premises and to furnish to him such other information as he may reasonably require for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not and, if so, to what extent, the person carrying on the business is insured under the Scheme in respect of goods owned by him in the course of that business, and of ascertaining the value of any goods insurable under the Scheme which are, or were at any relevant time, owned by him in the course of that business and the maximum amount which would be recoverable in respect of any such goods under a policy issued under this Act.
     (2) Whoever wilfully obstructs any person in the exercise of his powers under this section or fails without any reasonable excuse to comply with a demand made thereunder, shall, in respect of each occasion on which any such obstruction or failure takes place, be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees.
     (3) Whoever, in purporting to comply with his obligations under this section, knowingly or recklessly makes a statement which is false in a material particular, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.
     (4) Where in any proceedings in respect of a contravention of section 7 in relation to any business, it is proved, in relation to that business,--
         (a) that a demand for the production of a policy of insurance issued in accordance with the Scheme insuring the person carrying on the business was duly made under this section and was not complied with, and
         (b) that the person making the demand was not satisfied that there was such a policy in existence,
it shall be presumed, except in so far as the contrary is proved, that the said section 7 was being contravened in relation to that business at the time when the demand was made and continued to be contravened in relation to that business at all times thereafter.