Chapter IV PENALTIES

(1) Whoever, voluntarily or without proper authority commits any damage to lands, installations and machineries within the fishing harbour terminal shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment which may extend to a period of six months or with a fine which may extend to Rs. 500 or with both. (2) Any person contravening any provision of this Act or any rule or regulation framed under this Act, for the contravention of which no penalty is provided shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine which may extend to Rs. 500 or with both.

Whoever abets any offence punishable by or under this Act or attempts to commit any such offence shall be punished with the penalty provided by or under this Act for committing such offence.

Nothing in this Act shall prevent any person from being prosecuted and punished under any other law for the time being in force for any Act or omission made punishable by or under this Act: Provided that no person shall be prosecuted and punished for the same offence more than once.

(1) Any officer authorised by the Authority may accept from any person who has committed or in respect of whom a reasonable belief can be inferred that he has committed an offence punishable under this Act or the rules made thereunder, a sum of money not exceeding Rs. 500, by way of composition for such offence. (2) On payment of such sum of money, the said person in custody shall be released and no further proceeding shall be taken against him in regard to the offence so compounded.

Any officer or authority incharge of or employed in any fishing harbour terminal may remove from such area or may take into custody without a warrant and forthwith handover to a police officer incharge of the nearest police station, any person who within his view,- (a) wilfully causes any damage to any building, installation, equipment or vehicle ; or (b) without proper authority interferes with any of the activities inside the fishing harbour terminal: Provided that every such person taken into custody shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within a period of twenty-four hours of such custody excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of the magistrate and no such person shall be detained in custody beyond the said period without the authority of Magistrate.