Offences by Kahcharai officers

(1) If any Kahcharai officer or other person duly employed in the prevention of offences under this Act— (i) practises or attempts to practise any fraud or does any act for the purpose of injuring the Kahcharai revenue or abets or connives at any such fraud or any attempt to practise any such fraud or act ; or (ii) is guilty of a wilful contravention of any provision of this Act ; or (iii) requires any place or permises to be searched for taxable or prohibited animals or requires any person to be arrested, without having reasonable ground to believe that there are taxable or prohibited animals concealed about such place or premises or that such person is guilty of an offence under section 17 ; or (iv) vexatiously and unnecssarily delays forwarding any person arrested under this Act to nearest concerned authority ; or (v) wilfully or negligently causes any loss or damage to animals at any time while they remain or are lawfully detained at any Kahcharai post or elsewhere under his charge ; shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or to a fine not exceeding Rs. 1,000 or to both. (2) The punishment prescribed in sub-section (1) shall be in addition to any departmental punishment which a competent authority in the case may deem fit to award. (1) Any Kahcharai officer who— (i) is guilty of any extortion or misconduct; or (ii) is concerned in any agreement or understanding, whether oral or written, for the withholding of any Kahcharai dues or for the doing of anything whereby the revenue may be defrauded; or (iii) enters into or acquiesces in any agreement to do, abstain from doing, permit, conceal or connive at any act or thing whereby the revenue is or may be defrauded or violated, or having reasonable ground to believe that there are taxable or prohibited animals concealed about such place or premises or that such person is guilty of an offence under section 17 ; or (iv) vexatiously and unnecssarily delays forwarding any person arrested under this Act to nearest concerned authority ; or (v) wilfully or negligently causes any loss or damage to animals at any time while they remain or are lawfully detained at any Kahcharai post or elsewhere under his charge ; shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or to a fine not exceeding Rs. 1,000 or to both. (2) The punishment prescribed in sub-section (1) shall be in addition to any departmental punishment which a competent authority in the case may deem fit to award.