‘‘131-B. (1) Any offence punishable under this Chapter (excluding sections 116, 117, 118-A, 123 and 123-A) offences. may, subject to any general or special order of the State Government in this behalf, be compounded either before or after the institution of the prosecution by an officer specially empowered by the State Government in this behalf by notification, on realisation of such amount of composition fee as he thinks fit, not exceeding the maximum amount of fine fixed for the offence.
(2) Where the offence is so compounded—
(i) before the institution of the prosecution, the offender shall not be liable to prosecution for such offence and shall if in custody, be set at liberty;
Short title and extent Insertion of new section 131-B in Act no. 4 of 1939 1 [The Uttar Pradesh criminal law (composition of offences and abatement of trials) (amendment) Act, 1979]
(ii) after the institution of the prosecution the composition shall ' amount to acquittal of the offender.’’
3. In the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, after section 22-C, the following section Shall be inserted, namely "22-CC. An Officer specially empowered by the State Government in this behalf by notification may, subject to any general or special order of the State Government in this behalf, compound any offence punishable under this Act with fine only committed for the first time, either before or after the institution of the prosecution, on realisation of such amount of composition fee as he thinks fit, not exceeding the maximum amount Of fine fixed for the offence ; and where the offence is so compounded–
(i) before the institution of the prosecution, the offender shall not be liable to prosecution for such offence and shall, if in custody, be set at liberty;
(ii) after the institution of the prosecution, the composition shall amount to acquittal of the offender."