22. Persons bound to assist forest officer and police officer.
(1)Every person who exercises any right in a reserved forest, or who is permitted to take any forest produce from or to cut and remove timber or to pasture cattle in, such forest, and every person who is employed by any such person in such forest; and every village officer or person in any village contiguous to such forest who is employed by the Government; shall be bound to furnish without delay to the nearest forest officer or police officer in charge of the nearest police station any information he may possess respecting the occurrences of a fire in, or near, such forest, or the commission for or intention to commit any forest offence; and shall forthwith take steps, whether so required by the forest officer or police officer or not.(a)to extinguish any such fire of which he has knowledge or information ;(b)to prevent any such fire from spreading and shall assist any forest officer or police officer demanding his aid(ii)in preventing the commission in such forest of any forest offence ; and(ii)when there is reason to believe that any such offence has been committed in such forest, in discovering and arresting the offender.(2)Whoever, without lawful excuse, fails to comply with the provisions of sub section (1) shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees or with both.
