Section 8 in The Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Act, 2025
8. Substitution of new sections 9, 9A and 9B for section 9.
For section 9 of the principal Act, the following sections shall be substituted, namely:—Penalties.“9. (1) Whoever contravenes the provisions of section 4A or sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) of section 6A shall be liable to a penalty of twenty-five lakh rupees.(2) Any rule made under any of the provisions of this Act may provide that any contravention thereof shall be liable to a penalty of twenty-five lakh rupees.(3) Whoever, after having been punished with penalty as referred to in sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), continues to contravene any of the provisions of this Act or rules made thereunder, shall be liable to pay a further penalty which may extend to ten lakh rupees per day for the entire duration during which the contravention continues commencing from the date of imposition of the first penalty.Adjudication.9A. (1) The Central Government shall, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for providing eligibility criteria for designating an adjudicating authority and for the manner of conducting inquiry and imposing penalty under the provisions of this Act:Provided that no officer below the rank of Joint Secretary to the Government of India shall be designated as an adjudicating authority.(2) The adjudicating authority may summon and enforce the attendance of any person acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case to give evidence or to produce any document, which in his opinion may be useful for or relevant to the subject matter of the inquiry and if, on such inquiry, he is satisfied that the person concerned has contravened the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder, he may determine such penalty in accordance with the provisions of this Act.(3) No penalty shall be imposed on any person under this section or any rules made thereunder without affording an opportunity of being heard.Appeal9B. (1) Every appeal against the order of the adjudicating authority under this section shall lie with the Appellate Tribunal referred to in section 30 of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 and the provisions contained in sections 33, 34, 35 and 36 of that Act, shall, mutatis mutandis apply, in relation to every such appeal.(2) The provisions contained in section 37 of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006, shall mutatis mutandis apply, in relation to every appeal against the order of the Appellate Tribunal referred to in sub-section (1).”.
