Section 22C. Offences by companies.

(1) If the person committing any offence under this Act is a company, every person who at the time the offence was committed, was incharge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company as well as the company shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly:

Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to any punishment provided in this Act if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence under this Act has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this section,—

(a) “company” means any body corporate and includes a firm or other association of individuals, and

(b) “director” in relation to a firm means a partner in the firm.

STATE AMENDMENT

Uttar Pradesh

Insertion of new section 22-CC, in Act (11 of 1948).—In the minimum Wages Act, after section 22-C, the following section shall be inserted, namely:—

“22-CC. Compounding of offence.—An Officer specially empowered by the State Government in this behalf by notification may, subject to any general or special order of the State Government in this behalf, compound any offence punishable under this Act with fine only committed for the first time, either before or after the institution of the prosecution, on realization of such amount of composition fee as he thinks fit, not exceeding the maximum amount of fine fixed for the offence; and where the offence is so compounded—

(i) before the institution of the prosecution, the offender shall not be liable to prosecution for such offence and shall, if in custody, be set at liberty;

(ii) before the institution of the prosecution, the composition shall amount to acquittal of the offender.’’

[Vide Uttar Pradesh Act 35 of 1979, s. 3]

View Act Footnotes

Note: In the legacy archives, footnotes are grouped by original PDF page numbers rather than by section.

Page 3

1. This Act has been extended to Dadra and Nagar Haveli by Reg. 6 of 1963, s. 2 and the First Schedule; Pondicherry by Reg. 7of 1973, s. 3 and First Schedule; Lakshadweep by Reg. 8 of 1965, s. 3 and the Schedule; and Union territory of Goa, Damanand Diu by Notification No. G.S.R. 436, dated 16-4-1873, Gazette of India, Part II, sec. 3(i).This Act has been amended in Uttar Pradesh by U.P. Act 20 of 1960 (w.e.f. 1-1-1960), Bihar by Bihar Act 3 of 1961,Maharashtra by Maharashtra Act 10 of 1961, Andhra Pradesh by Andhra Pradesh Act 19 of 1961, Gujarat by Gujarat Act 22 of1961, Madhya Pradesh by Madhya Pradesh Act 11 of 1959, Kerala by Kerala Act 18 of 1960, Rajasthan by Rajasthan Act 4 of1969, Madhya Pradesh by Madhya Pradesh Act 36 of 1976 and Maharashtra by Maharashtra Act 25 of 1976.
2. The words “except the State of Jammu and Kashmir” omitted by Act 51 of 1970, s. 2 and the Schedule (w.e.f. 1-9-1971).
3. Subs. by Act 61 of 1986, s. 23, for clause (a).
4. Subs. by Act 30 of 1957, s. 2, for “Central Government, by a railway administration” .
5. Subs. by the A.O. 1950, for “an Act of the Central Legislature”
6. Ins. by Act 61 of 1986, s. 23.
7. Subs. by Act 26 of 1954, s. 2, for“clause (e) of sub-section (1) of section 9 of the Factories Act, 1934 (25 of 1934)”.

Page 4

1. Ins. by Act 30 of 1957, s. 2.
2. Subs. by the A.O. 1950, for “Crown”.
3. Subs. by Act 26 of 1954, s.3, for sub-section (1).
4. Subs. by Act 31 of 1961, s. 2, for clause (a).

Page 5

1. Ins. by Act 30 of 1957, s. 3.
2. Certain words, brackets and figure omitted by Act 31 of 1961, s. 2.
3. Subs. by s. 2, ibid., for certain words.
4. Ins. by s. 2, ibid.

Page 6

1. Subs. by Act 30 of 1957, s. 3 for clause (b).

Page 7

1. Subs. by Act 30 of 1957, s. 4, for section 5.

Page 8

1. Subs. by Act 30 of 1957, s. 6, for “committees, sub-committees, advisory committees and the advisory sub-committeesappointed under sections 5 and 6”
2. The words “advisory committee, advisory sub-committees” omitted by s. 7, ibid.
3. Subs. by s. 8, ibid., for section 10.
4. The words and figures “or section 10” omitted by s. 9, ibid.

Page 9

1. Section 13 re-numbered as sub-section (1) of thereof by Act 30 of 1957, s. 10.
2. Ins. by s. 10, ibid.
3. Subs. by Act 26 of 1954, s. 4 for “section 47 of the Factories Act, 1934 (25 of 1934)”.

Page 10

1. Subs. by Act 30 of 1857, s. 11, for clause (d).
2. Ins. by s. 11, ibid.

Page 11

1. Subs. by Act 30 of 1957, s. 12, for “any Commissioner for Workmen’s Compensation or”.
2. Ins. by s. 12, ibid.
3. Subs. by s. 12, ibid., for certain words.
4. Subs. by s. 12, ibid., for sub-section (3) .

Page 12

1. Subs. by Act 30 of 1957, s. 13, for “A single application”.
2.Ins. by s. 13, ibid.
3. Subs. by s. 14, ibid., for section 22.

Page 15

1. Ins. by Act 30 of 1957, s. 15.
2. Ins. by Act 26 of 1954, s. 5.

Page 16

1 The words “advisory committees, advisory sub-committees” omitted by Act 30 of 1957, s. 16.
2. Ins. by Act 31 of 1961, s. 3.
3. Section 30A re-numbered as sub-section (1) thereof by Act 4 of 2005, s. 2 and the Schedule (w.e.f. 11-1-2005).

Page 17

1. Ins. by Act 4 of 2005, s. 2 and the Schedule (w.e.f. 11-1-2005).
2. Subs. by Act 31 of 1961, s. 4, for section 31.

Page 18

1. Subs. by Act 30 of 1957, s. 18, for item No. 7.
2. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 3760, dated 4th December, 1962.
3. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 3760, dated 30th October, 1962.
4. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 1987, dated 30th May, 1968.
5. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 586, dated 5th February, 1970.
6. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 795, dated 13th February, 1970.
7. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 796, dated 18th February, 1970.
8. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 2357, dated 1st July, 1970.
9. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 3896, dated the 3rd September, 1971.10. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 3898, dated 15th September, 1971.11. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 2972, dated 1st July, 1972.12. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 2973, dated 1st July, 1972.13. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 2974, dated 6th July, 1972.

Page 19

1. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 1587, dated 24th May, 1973.
2. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 2311, dated 3rd July, 1975.
3. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 4030, dated 4th February, 1976.
4. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 558, dated 29th January, 1977.
5. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 1823, dated 14th June, 1978.
6. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 2945, dated 22nd September, 1978.
7. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 2950, dated 25th September, 1978.
8. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 3248, dated 26th October, 1978.
9. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 3671, dated 7th December, 1978.10. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 1757, dated 16th June, 1980.11. Ins. by notification No. S.O. 2473, dated 3rd September, 1980.