qft:+qTg"T.

For Section 68 of the Principal Act, the following shall be substituted, namely.- "68. Power to compound offences.- (1) The State Government may, be notification in the Official Gazette, empower a Forest-Officer.- (a) to accept from any person against whom a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed any forest offence, other than an offence specified in Section 62 or Section 63, a sum of money by way of compensation for the offence which such person is suspected to have committed, and (b) when any property has been seized as liable to confiscation, to release the same at any time before an order of confiscation is passed by the authorised officer on payment of the value thereof as estimated by such officer. (2) On the payment of such sum of money, or such value, or both, as the case may be, to such officer, the suspected person, if in custody, shall be discharged, the property, if any, seized shall be released, and no further proceeding shall be taken against such person or property. (3) A Forest-officer shall not be empowered under this section unless he is a Forest-officer of a rank not inferior to that of a Ranger, and the sum of money accepted as compensation under clause (a) of sub-section (1) shall in no case be less than two times the value of the forest produce: Provided that in case the forest produce in respect of which an offence has been committed is not the property of the Government or in case the value of the forest produce is less than Rs. 1,000, the suspected person may be discharged and the property (other than the forest produce) and the vehicle and other articles used in commission of the offence may be released on the payment of the value of the property as estimated by the authorized officer (Forest-officer) not below the rank of Ranger, and no further proceeding shall be taken against such person or property."