61. Compounding of offences arising under the Act.
(1)Any officer empowered by State Government shall issue a show cause notice before taking any action under Section 76 or 77 of the Act against any person who has committed, or reasonably suspected to have committed any offence under the Act or rules made thereunder asking him to show cause within a period of fifteen days why action under the said Section 76, or as the case may be, under Section 77 of the Act, should not be taken against him.(2)Notwithstanding anything contained in the said provision-(i)any officer empowered by the State Government to compound the offence committed under the Act, or reasonably suspected to have committed any offence under the Act and rules made thereunder may compound the said offence committed by any person, either before or after the institution of the criminal proceedings under the Act:Provided that the said proposal to compound the offence is accepted by any officer authorised by the State Government;(ii)on an approval of the said proposal by the officer empowered to approve such a proposal referred to above, the officer empowered to compound the offence shall send an intimation in writing in that behalf to that person specifying therein -(a)a sum determined by way of composition,(b)the date on or before which the sum shall be paid.
