(1) In any suit or proceeding against any superior officer or member of the Dal for any act done by him in the discharge of his duties, it shall be lawful for him to plead that such act was done by him under the orders of a competent authority.
(2) Any such plea may be proved by the production of the order directing the act, and if it is so proved, the superior officer or member of the Dal shall thereupon be discharged from any liability in respect of the act so done by him, notwithstanding any defect in the jurisdiction of the authority which issued such order.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, any legal proceeding, whether civil or criminal, which may lawfully be brought against any superior officer or member of the Dal for anything done or intended to be done under the powers conferred by, or in pursuance of, any provision of this Act or the rules made thereunder, shall be commenced within six months after the act complained of was committed and not otherwise; and notice in writing of such proceeding and of the cause thereof shall be given to the person concerned and his superior officer at least one month before the commencement of such proceeding; and any such proceeding shall not be entertained, or shall be dismissed if instituted more than six months after the date of the act complained of or without giving the notice thereof as aforesaid :
Provided that, for the purposes of computing the period of six months under this sub-section, the period required for obtaining the prior sanction of the State Government under sub-section (4), shall be excluded.
(4) No court shall take cognizance of any offence committed by any superior officer or member of the Dal while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of his official duty except with the prior sanction of the State Government.