16. Powers and duties conferable and impossible on members of the Rifles, and the superior officers.
(1)All superior officers and members of the Rifles shall be deemed to be Police officers under the Police Act, 1861 (V of 1861).(2)Commandant, Deputy Commandant or Assistant Commandant shall be entitled to all the privileges which a Police Officer has under sections 42 and 43 of the Police Act, 1861 and Section 125 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 and under any other enactment for the time being in force ; and shall, subject to such rules as the State Government may from time to time make in this behalf, exercise all the powers of a District Superintendent of Police within the meaning of the Police Act, 1861.(3)[ Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal procedure, 1973 (Act No. 2 of 1974) any offence committed by a member of the rifles and punishable under this Act, shall be enquired into or tried by a Rifles's court only which may be convened under section 18 A :(i)when the offender is on leave or absent from duty or is not on active duty ; or(ii)when the offence is not connected with the offender's duties as a member of the Rifles : or(iii)when an offence is committed by a member of the Rifles along with any other person who is not subject to this Act and whose identity is known ;the offence may, if the prescribed authority, within the limits of whose jurisdiction the offence has been committed, so directs, be enquired into or tried by an ordinary criminal court having jurisdiction.] [Inserted by the Tripura State Rifles (Amendment) Act, 1984, w.e.f. 27.7.1984 ]
