16. Powers and duties conferrable and imposable on members of the Force.—(1) The Central
Government may, by general or special order, confer or impose upon any member of the force any of the
powers or duties conferred or imposed on a police officer of any class or grade by any law for the time
being in force.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (5 of 1898), the
Central Government may invest the Commandant or an assistant commandant with the powers of a
Magistrate of any class for the purpose of inquiring into or trying any offence committed by a member of
the Force and punishable under this Act, or any offence committed by a member of the Force against the
person or property of another member:
Provided that—
(i) when the offender is on leave or absent from duty, or
(ii) when the offence is not connected with the offender’s duties as a member of the Force, or
(iii) when it is a petty offence, even if connected with the offender's duties as a member of the
Force,
the offence may, if the prescribed authority within the limits of whose jurisdiction the offence has been
committed, so directs, be inquired into or tried by an ordinary criminal Court having jurisdiction in the
matter.
17. Protection for acts of members of the Force.—(1) In any suit or proceeding against any
member of the Force for any act done by him in pursuance of a warrant or order of a competent authority,
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it shall be lawful for him to plead that such act was done by him under the authority of such warrant or
order.
(2) Any such plea may be proved by the production of the warrant or order directing the act, and if it
is so proved the member of the Force shall thereupon be discharged from liability in respect of the act so
done by him, notwithstanding any defect in the jurisdiction of the authority which issued such warrant or
order.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, any legal
proceeding (whether civil or criminal) which may lawfully be brought against any member of the Force
for anything done or intended to be done under the powers conferred by, or in pursuance of, any provision
of this Act or the rules thereunder, shall be commenced within three months after the act complained of
was committed and not otherwise, and notice in, writing of such proceeding and of the cause thereof shall
be given to the defendant or his superior officer at least one month before the commencement of such
proceeding.
18. Power to make rules.—(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette,
make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.
(2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may
provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:—
(a) regulating the classes and grades of, and the pay, pension and other remuneration of, members
of the Force, and their conditions of service in the Force;
(b) regulating the powers and duties of officers authorised to exercise any functions by or under
this Act;
(c) fixing the period of service for members of the Force;
(d) regulating the award of minor punishments under section 11, and providing for appeals from,
or the revision of, orders under that section, or the remission of fines imposed under that section, and
the remission of deductions made under section 13;
(e) regulating the several or collective liability of members of the Force in the case of the loss or
theft of weapons and ammunition;
(f) for the disposal of criminal cases arising under this Act and for specifying the prison in which
a person convicted in any such case may be confined.
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[(3) Every rule made under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each
House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in
one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately
following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification
in the rule, or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only
in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or
annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.]
19. Validation of acts done before commencement of Act.—Any order made, thing done, or action
taken by or in relation to a member of the Force, on or after the 15th day of August, 1947, but before the
commencement of this Act, shall for all purposes be deemed to have been made, done or taken under this
Act as if this Act were in force on the day on which such order was made, thing was done or action was
taken