Punishment for registering bogus firm for abeting offence under section 20

Whoever, being an officer intentionally, knowingly or negligently, without holding proper inquiry, registers a bogus firm or permits the use of bogus or non-existent firm's name, with the intention to abet the offence under section 20, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description which may extend to three years or with fine or both. Explanation.—Bogus firm includes a fictitious firm nominally registered in the name of a relative, friend or servant of a businessman only for showing a seperate entity and having some nominal transaction recorded in that name, and having for its objective procurement of business to the real firm of the businessman by submitting tenders at the rates higher or bidding at the rates lower than the rates given or bids made by the real firm so as to make it sure that the real firm of the businessman gets the contract or licence, as the case may be. (1) No officer whose duty is to issue any direction on behalf of the State Government and an other officer or authority shall prepare a case for issuing any direction under the first proviso to section 39 of the Act in any case in which he may be directly or indirectly interested. In all such cases, the matter shall be reported to the State Government for such orders as it may deem fit to pass for compliance. (2) No officer of the State Government shall process a case relating to grant of any sanction or authenticate any sanction in a case under section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, (1973 No. 2 of 1974), in the result whereof he may be directly or indirectly interested. Such case will be reported by him to the State Government for such orders as it deem fit to pass for compliance.