Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
(1) Any offence punishable under section 50, section 55, section 56, section 57, section 58, section 59, section 60, section 63, section 64, section 65, section 66, or section 67 may, either before or after the institution of the prosecution, be compounded by the Director or such other officer as may be specially authorised by him in this behalf, on payment for credit to the Government of such sum as the Director or such other officer may specify: Provided that such sum shall not, in any case, exceed the maximum amount of the fine which may be imposed under this Act for the offence so compounded. (2) Nothing in sub-section (1) shall apply to a person who commits the same or similar offence within a period of three years from the date on which the first offence, committed by him, was compounded. Explanation.- For the purposes of this sub-section, any second or subsequent offence committed after the expiry of a period of three years from the date on which the offence was previously compounded, shall be deemed to be a first offence. (3) Where an offence has been compounded under sub-section (1), no proceeding or further proceeding, as the case may be, shall be taken against the offender in respect of the offence so compounded, and the offender, if in custody, shall be discharged forthwith. (4) No offence under this Act shall be compounded except as provided by this section.