Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 - Penalties and Procedure

CHAPTER VI - PENALTIES AND PROCEDURE

²⁸[37. Failure to comply with the provisions of section 21 or section 22 or with the directions issued under section 31A.

(1) whoever fails to comply with the provisions of section 21 or section 22 or directions issued under section 3 1 A, shall, in respect of each such failure, be punishable with imprisonment for a terms which shall not be less than one year and six months but which may extend to six years and with fine, and in case the failure continues, with an additional fine which may extend to five thousand rupees for every day during which such failure continues after the conviction for the first such failure.

(2) If the failure referred to in sub-section (1) continues beyond a period of one year after the date of conviction, the offender shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than two years but which may extend to seven years and with fine.]

38. Penalties for certain acts.

Whoever-

      (a) destroys, pulls down, removes, injures or defaces any pillar, post or stake fixed in the ground or any notice or other matter put up, incsribed or placed, by or under the authority of the Board, or

      (b) obstructs any person acting under the orders or directions of the Board from exercising his powers and performing his functions under this Act, or

        (c) damages any works or property belonging to the Board, or

      (d) fails to furnish to the Board or any officer or other employee of the Board any information required by the Board or such officer or other employee for the purpose of this Act, or

      (e) fails to intimate the occurrence of the emission of air pollutants into the atmosphere in excess of the standards laid down by the State Board or the apprehension of such occurrence, to the State Board and other prescribed authorities or agencies as required under sub-section (1) of section 23, or

      (f) in giving any information which he is required to give under this Act, makes a statement which is false in any material particular, or

      (g) for the purpose of obtaining any consent under section 21, makes a statement which is false in any material particular shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months or with fine which may extend to ²⁹[ten thousand rupees] or with both.

³⁰[39. Penalty for contravention of provisions of the Act.

         Whoever contravenes any of the provisions of this Act or any order or direction issued thereunder, for which no penalty has been elsewhere provided in this Act, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months or with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees or with both, and in the case of continuing contravention, with an additional fine which may extend to five thousand, rupees for every day during which such contravention continues after conviction for the first such contravention.)

40. Offences by companies.

(1) Where an offence under this Act has , been committed by a company, every person who, at the time the offence was committed, was directly in charge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company, as well as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly:

     Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to any punishment provided in this Act, if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence under this Act has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence has ben committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

Explanation.-For the purpose of this section,-

      (a) "company" means any body corporate, and includes a firin or other association of individuals; and

      (b) "director", in relation to a firm, means a partner in the firm.

41. Offences by Government Departments.

(1) Where an offence under this Act has been committed by any Department of Government, the Head of the Department shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly:

     Provided that nothing contained in this section shall render such Head of the Department liable to any punishment if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence under this Act has been committed by a Department of Government and it is proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any neglect on the part of, any officer, other than the Head of the Department, such officer shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly. ,

42. Protection of action taken in good faith

     No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against the Goverwnent er any officer of the Government or any member or any officer or other employee of the Board in respect of anything which is done or intended to be done in good faith in pursuance of this Act or the rules made thereunder.

³¹[43. Cognizance of offences

(1) No court shall take cognizance of any offence under this Act except on a complaint made by-

      (a) a Board or any officer authorised in this behalf by it; or

    (b) any person who has given notice of not less than sixty days, in the manner prescribed, of the alleged offence and of his intention to make a complaint to the Board or officer authorised as aforesaid, and no court inferior to that of a Metropolitan Magistrate or a Judicial Magistrate of the first class shall try any offence punishable under this Act.

(2) Where a complaint has been made under clause (b) of sub-section (1), the Board shall, on demand by such person, make available the relevant reports in its possession to that person:

      Provided that the Board may refuse to make any such report available to such person if the same is, in its opinion, against the public interest.]

44. Members, officers and employees of Board to be public servants.

     All the members and all officers and other employees of a Board when acting or purporting to act in pursuance of any of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder shall be deemed to be public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

45. Reports and returns.

     The Central Board shall, in relation to its functions under this Act, furnish to the Central Goveniment, and a State Board shall, in relation to its functions under this Act, furnish to the State government and to the Central Board such reports, returns, statistics, accounts and other information as that Government, or, as the case may be, the Central Board may, from time to time, require.

46. Bar of jurisdiction.

     No civil court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceeding in respect of any matter which an Appellate Authority constituted under this Act is empowered by or under this Act to determine, and no injunction shall be granted by any court or other authority in respect of any action taken or to be taken in pursuance of any power conferred by or under this Act.