(1) A person shall on conviction by a court, be liable to imprisonment for a term, not exceeding one month or with fine of not less than one thousand rupees or with both, when he commits any of the following offences on any public road, or street or thoroughfare or footpath, or in any municipal council or corporation or notified area to the inconvenience, annoyance or danger of the residents or passers-by, namely:-
(a) allows intentionally any cattle to stray or keeps standing any cattle or conveyance of any kind thereon longer than is necessary for loading or unloading or for taking up or getting down passengers, or leaves thereon any conveyance in such a manner, as to cause inconvenience or danger to the public or uses the public road or thoroughfare or footpath for sale or storage of goods;
(b) is found intoxicated and riotous;
(c) indulges in a drunken brawl or affray or assaults any person or indulges in any indecent exposure of the body;
(d) neglects to fence in or duly protect any well, tank, hole or other dangerous place or structure under his charge or possession or otherwise creates a hazardous situation in a public place;
(e) defaces or affixes notices, or writing or drawing on walls, buildings, road signs or other structures without the prior permission of the custodian of the property;
(f) wilfully damages or sabotages any public alarm system;
(g) wilfully enters or remains without sufficient cause, in or upon any building, belonging to the Government or land or ground attached thereto, or any vehicle belonging to the State Government;
Offences by Public.
(h) knowingly and wilfully causes damage to an essential service, in order to cause general panic among the public;
(i) acts in contravention of a notice publicly displayed by the competent authority in any State Government building:
Provided that the police shall take cognizance of this offence only upon a complaint made by an authorized functionary of the concerned office;
(j) knowingly spreads rumours or causes a false alarm to mislead the police, fire brigade or any other essential service;
(k) causes annoyance to a woman by making indecent overtures of calls or by stalking:
Provided that the police shall take cognizance of this offence only upon a complaint made by the victim, or any other person authorized by her; and
(l) releases any obnoxious gas or fluid which causes annoyance or inconvenience or likely injury to anyone.
(2) Offences under sub-clauses (b), (c), (f), (g), (h), (k), and
(l) of sub-section (1), shall be cognizable and bailable.
(3) Whoever, commits any offence under sub-section (1), on subsequent conviction, shall be liable to enhanced punishment, of imprisonment, not exceeding three months.
69. No suit or other legal proceeding shall lie against a police officer for any act, done in good faith or intended to be done in pursuance of this Act or of any rules or any order made thereunder, except on a report in writing of the facts, constituting such offence by, or with the previous sanction of an officer, authorized by the State Government in this behalf.
Prosecution of police officers'.
70. Subject to the provisions of section 300 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974), nothing contained in this Act shall bar the prosecution of any person under any other law, for anything done or made punishable under this Act.
71. No Court shall take cognizance of any offence under this Act after the expiry of the period of limitation, as provided under Chapter XXXVI of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974).
CHAPTER-XI MISCELLANEOUS
72. All powers, functions and duties of the Senior Superintendent of Police of a district under this Act, shall be exercised, in respect of areas notified under section 8, by the Commissioner or any other officer, who may be authorised in this behalf by the State Government.
73. All fees paid for licenses or written permissions, issued under this Act, and all sums paid for the service of processes by police personnel, and all rewards, forfeitures and penalties or shares thereof, which are by law payable to police officers as informers, shall, save in so far as any such fees or sums are payable under the provisions of any other law in force to any local authority, be credited to the State Government in such manner, as may be prescribed.
74. No order, direction, or act done under any provision of this Act, or the rules made thereunder, shall be illegal; void or invalid merely by reason of any defect of form.
75. A Police Officer taking charge of an office for a temporary period, shall exercise the same powers and duties of that office as conferred under this Act, on an officer holding regular charge of that office.
Prosecution for offences under other laws.
Limitation of actions.
Powers of senior Superintendent of Police to be exercised by the Commissioner.
Disposal of fees and rewards.
Validity of orders and actions.
Officers holding charge of or succeeding to vacancies.