Section 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 –

(i) 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.

¹[(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 year and with a fine which may extend to five thousand rupees]