Offence by Companies

Offence by Companies. –

1. (1) Where an offence under this Act has been committed by a Company, every person, who at the time of commissioning of the offence was in charge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company, as well as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly. Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to any punishment provided in this Act if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he exercised due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.
2. (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section
3. (1) where an offence under this Act has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary, or other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly. Explanation. - For the purpose of this Section-
   • (a) "company" means any body corporate, and includes a firm or a Co-operative Society or other association of individuals.
   • (b) "director" in relation to a firm, also includes a partner/partners in the firm.