12. Power of licensing officer to castrate bulls.-

(1) If a person who keeps a bull neglects or fails to submit it for inspection or to have it castrated when required to do so under section 7, or section 8, the licensing officer may direct that the bull shall be castrated by a method and in a manner approved by the Director and marked with a prescribed mark in the prescribed manner, free of charge. (2) (a) If it is not known in whose ownership, possession or custody a bull is for the time being and the fact cannot be ascertained after an inquiry in the prescribed manner, the licensing officer may seize the bull or cause to be seized, and if he is of opinion that the bull has attained the prescribed age and is unsuitable for breeding purposes on any of the grounds specified in sub-section (1) of section 5, may direct that the bull shall be castrated by a method and in a manner approved by the Director and marked with a prescribed mark in the prescribed manner, free of charge (b) Every bull seized under clause (a) shall, after it has been castrated and marked as aforesaid where necessary, be sold by public auction or sent to a pinjrapole or infirmary recognised by the Government in this behalf. (c) In case the owner of any bull seized under clause (a) appears before the licensing officer within such time as may be prescribed in this behalf and proves to the satisfaction of such officer that the bull is owned by him- (i) in case the bull has been sold by public auction, the proceeds of such sale shall be paid to the owner after deducting therefrom the costs, charges and expenses incurred for the maintenance and sale of the bull; and (ii) in any other case, the bull shall be delivered to the owner on payment of the costs, charges and expenses incurred for its maintenance. (d) The costs, charges and expenses referred to in sub-clause (i) and (ii) of clause (c) shall be determined in the prescribed manner.