CHAPTER VII Penalties and Procedure.

Section 59: Power to compound offences

The Telangana Forest Act, 1967

How current this text is

Text as published by India Code for the Government of Telangana (Environment, Forests, Science and Technology Department): the Andhra Pradesh Forest Act, 1967 as in force in the combined State on 2 June 2014, adapted to Telangana under section 101 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 by G.O.Ms.No.22, E.F.S&T (For.I) Department, dated 13.05.2015, with amendments up to Act No.35 of 1997.

Amendments made by Andhra Pradesh after 2 June 2014, such as the Andhra Pradesh Forest (Amendment) Act, 2016, do not apply in Telangana and are not in this text.

Chapter IIIA (sections 28A to 28G, Preservation of Private Forests) applies only in the Scheduled Areas and is not part of this India Code text; it is printed in the 2012 text of the Andhra Pradesh Forest Act hosted by the Telangana Forest Department, and the Telangana Preservation of Private Forest Rules, 1978, made under section 28-G for the scheduled areas, were adopted in Telangana by G.O.Ms.No.22 of 13.05.2015; the instrument that inserted the chapter has not been identified.

(1) Any forest officer, specially empowered in this behalf by the Government may accept as compensation from any person who committed or in respect of whom it can be reasonably inferred that he has committed, any forest offence, other than an offence under section 52 or section 55-

(i) a sum of money not exceeding fifty rupees where such offence is of a trivial nature;

(ii) a sum of money which shall not in any case be less than the value of the forest produce, or more than four times such value as estimated by such forest officer, in addition to the value of the forest produce, where such offence involves any forest produce which in the opinion of the forest officer, may be released;

(iii) a sum of money which shall not in any case be less than the value of the forest produce or more than four times such value as estimated by such forest officer, where such offence involves forest produce which in the opinion of the forest officer should be retained by the Government.

(2) On receipt of the sum of money referred to in sub-section (1) by such officer,-

(i) the accused person, if in custody, shall be discharged;

(ii) the property seized shall, if it is not to be so retained, be released; and

(iii) no further proceedings shall be taken against such person or property.