(1) Any Officer duly authorised by the Government in this behall may accept from any person against whom a reasonable sltspicion exists that he has cornmi.tted any olfence punishable under this Act, sueh sum of moneY as may be prescribed, by way of composition of the offence which such person is suspected to have committed
(2) On payment of such sum of money to the Officer mentioned in sub-section (1), the suspected person, if in custodY, shall be discharged and no other proceeding shall be taken against him in respect of the olfence compounded
(3) The provisions of this section shall apply also where a prosecution or an appeal against conviction of o{fence under this Act is pending before a court and in such a case, the composition of such oftence shall have the effect of the acquittal of the accused with whom an offence has been compounded :
Provided that the court before whom such prosecution or appeal is pending grants permission for such composition'
16. No Court shall take cognizance of any offence under this Act,-
(1) except on the complaint made by an omcer authorised by the Government in this behalf ; and
(2) unless the prosecution is instituted within six months lrom the date on which the offence is alleged to have been committed.
17. No suit shatl be brought in any civil court to set aside or modiiy any order made under this Act.
Power to compound offence.
When Court to take cognizance of offence.
Bar of suit in Civil Courts.
18. No suit, prosecution or legal proceeding shall lie against any authority, officer or person for an]'thing which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act.
20. The provisions of this Act shall be in addition to, and not in derogation of, the provisions oI the Assam Forest Regulation, l89l as applied in Arunachal Pradesh or the rules made thereunder.
21. The provisions oI this Act shall not appiy to removal of timber to a place outside Arunachal Pradesh by or on behalf of the Government lmder the provisions of the Assam Forest Regulation, 1891.