(1)The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, empower a forest officer-(a)to accept from any person against whom a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed any forest-offence, other than an offence specified in Section 62 or Section 63, a sum of money by way of compensation for the offence which such person is suspected to have committed, and(b)when any property has been seized as liable to confiscation, to release the same on payment of the value thereof as estimated by such officer.(2)On the payment of such sum of money, or such value, or both, as the case may be, to such officer, the suspected person, if in custody, shall be discharged, the property, if any, seized shall be released, and no further proceedings shall be taken against such person or property.(3)A forest officer shall not be empowered under this section unless he is a forest officer of a rank not inferior to that of a Ranger and is in receipt of a monthly salary amounting to at least one hundred rupees, and the sum of money accepted as compensation under clause (a) of sub-section (1) shall in no case exceed the sum of [five hundred rupees.] [Substituted by Section 14 of M.P. Act No. 9 of 1965.]
