Section 7 in The Meghalaya Maintenance Of Public Under (Autonomous Districts) Act
7. Imposition of collective fines on inhabitants of any area.
(1)If it appears to the State Government than the inhabitants of any area are concerned in or abetting the commission of offices prejudicially affecting the public safety or maintenance of public order, or the maintenance of supplies or services necessary to the life of the community, or are harbouring persons concerned in the commission of such offences, or are failing to render all the assistance in their power to discover or apprehend the offender or offenders or are suppressing material evidence of the commission may, by notification in the official Gazette impose a collective fine on the inhabitants of that area :Provided that an impassion of a collective fine by any authority on whom the power may have been delegated under this Act may be made by publication of the order imposing may consider base calculated to bring the order to in he notice of the inhabitants of the area concerned.(2)The State Government or any officer empowered in this behalf by the State Government by general or special order may exempt any person or class or section of such inhabitants from liability to pay any portion of such fine.(3)The District magistrate, after such inquiry as he may deem necessary, shall apportion, such fine among the inhabitants who are liable collectively to pay it, and such apportionment shall be made according to the District of such inhabitants.(4)In any such apportionment the District Magistrate may assign a portion of such fine to a joint or undivided family to be payable by it.(5)The portion of such fine payable by any person (including a Hindu undivided family) may be recovered -(a)In the manner provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, for the recovery of fines imposed by a Court, as if such portion were a fine imposed by the District Magistrate acting as a CourtProvided that the State Government may, in lieu of the rules referred to in sub-section (2) of Section 386 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898. make rules under this Act regulating the manner in which warrants under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of the said section of the aid Code are to be executed, and for the summary determination of any claims made by any person other than the person liable to pay the fine in respect of any property attached in execution of the warrant;(b)as arrear of land revenue.
