156 Property stolen

(1) If any person guilty of any offence as is mentioned in Parts XXVII to XXXIV, both inclusive, of the Penal Code in stealing, taking, obtaining, extorting, converting, or disposing of, or in knowingly receiving any property, is prosecuted to conviction by or on behalf of the owner of such property, the property shall be restored to the owner or his representative.

(2) In every case in this section referred to, the court before whom such offender is convicted shall have power to award writs of restitution for the said property or to order the restitution thereof in a summary manner:
Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to the case of any valuable security which has been in good faith paid or discharged by some person liable to the payment thereof, or, being a negotiable instrument, has been in good faith taken or received by transfer or delivery by some person for a just and valuable consideration without any notice or without reasonable cause to suspect that the same has been stolen.

(3) On the restitution of any stolen property if it appears to the court by the evidence that the offender has sold the stolen property to any person, that such person has had no knowledge that the same was stolen, and that any moneys have been taken from the offender on his apprehension, the court may, on the application of such purchaser, order that out of such moneys a sum, not exceeding the amount of the proceeds of such sale, be delivered to the said purchaser.

(4) The operation of any order under this section shall (unless the court before which the conviction takes place direct to the contrary in any case in which the title to the property is not in dispute) be suspended —
(a) in any case until the time for appeal has elapsed; and
(b) in a case where an appeal is lodged, until the determination of the appeal,
and in cases where the operation of any such order is suspended until the determination of the appeal, the order shall not take effect as to the property in question if the conviction is quashed on appeal; and the Chief Justice or the Senior Magistrate may give directions for securing the safe custody of any property pending the suspension of the operation of any such order.

(5) Any person aggrieved by an order made under this section in any court other than the Senior Magistrate’s Court may appeal to that court, or, if the order was made by the Senior Magistrate’s Court, may appeal to the High Court, and upon the hearing of such appeal the court may by order annul or vary any order made on a trial for the restitution of any property to any person, although the conviction is not quashed; and the order, if annulled, shall not take effect, and, if varied, shall take effect as so varied.