1. Short title and commencement.–(1) This Act may be called the Sashastra Seema Bal Act, 2007.
(2) It shall come into force on such date1
as the Central Government may, by notification, in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.–(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,–
(a) "active duty", in relation to a person subject to this Act, means any duty as a member of the
Force during the period in which such person is attached to, or forms part of, a unit of the Force–
(i) which is engaged in operations against any enemy, or
(ii) which is operating at a picket or engaged on patrol or other guard duty along the borders
of India, and includes duty by such person during any period declared by the Central Government
by order as a period of active duty with reference to any area in which any person or class of
persons subject to this Act may be serving;
(b) "battalion" means a unit of the Force constituted as a battalion by the Central Government;
(c) "civil offence" means an offence which is triable by a criminal court;
(d) "civil prison" means any jail or place used for the detention of any criminal prisoner under the
Prisons Act, 1894 (9of 1894), or under any other law for the time being in force;
(e) "commanding officer" means a Commandant or any officer for the time being in command of
the unit or any separate portion of the Force to which such person belongs or is attached to and
discharging his functions under this Act or the rules made thereunder;
(f) "criminal court" means a court of ordinary criminal justice in any part of India constituted
under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974);
(g) "Deputy Inspector-General" and "Additional Deputy Inspector-General" mean respectively a
Deputy Inspector-General and an Additional Deputy Inspector-General of the Force appointed under
section 5;
(h) "Director-General" and "Additional Director-General" mean respectively the Director-General
and an Additional Director-General of the Force appointed under section 5;
(i) "enemy" includes all mutineers, armed rebels, armed rioters, pirates, terrorists and any person
in arms against whom it is the duty of any person subject to this Act to take action;
(j) "enrolled person" means an under-officer or other person enrolled under this Act;
(k) "Force" means the Sashastra Seema Bal;
(l) "Force Court" means a Court referred to in section76;
(m) "Force custody" means the arrest or confinement of a member of the Force under section 69;
(n) "Inspector-General" means the Inspector-General of the Force appointed under section 5;
(o) "Judge Attorney-General", "Additional Judge Attorney-General", "Deputy Judge AttorneyGeneral" and "Judge Attorney" mean respectively the Judge Attorney-General, an Additional Judge
Attorney-General, a Deputy Judge Attorney-General and a Judge Attorney of the Force appointed
under sub-section (2) of section 95;
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1. 1st August, 2009, vide notification No. S.O. 1871(E), dated 31st July, 2009, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Sec.
3(ii).
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(p) "member of the Force" means an officer, a subordinate officer, anunder-officer or other
enrolled person;
(q) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
(r) "offence" means any act or omission punishable under this Act and includes a civil offence;
(s) "officer" means a person appointed or in pay as an officer of the Force, but does not include a
subordinate officer or an under-officer;
(t) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(u) "rule" means a rule made under this Act;
(v) "subordinate officer" means a person appointed or in pay as a Subedar Major or Inspector or
Sub-Inspector and Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Force;
(w) "superior officer", when used in relation to a person subject to this Act, means–
(i) any member of the Force to whose command such person is for the time being subject in
accordance with the rules;
(ii) any officer of a higher rank or class or of a higher grade in the same class, and includes,
when such person is not an officer, a subordinate officer or an under-officer of higher rank, class
or grade;
(x) "under-officer" means a Head Constable of the Force;
(y) "unit" includes–
(i) any body of officers and other members of the Force for which a separate authorised
establishment exists;
(ii) any separate body of persons subject to this Act employed on any service and not attached
to a unit as aforesaid;
(iii) any other separate body of persons composed wholly or partly of persons subject to this
Act and specified as a unit by the Central Government.
(2) All words and expressions used and not defined in this Act but defined in the Indian Penal Code
(45 of 1860), the Army Act, 1950 (46 of 1950) or the National Security Guard Act, 1986 (47 of 1986),
shall have the same meanings respectively assigned to them in that Code or those Acts.
(3) In this Act, references to any law not in force in the State of Jammu and Kashmir* shall be
construed as references to the corresponding law in force in that State.
3. Persons subject to this Act.–(1) The following persons appointed (whether on deputation or in
any other manner) in the Force shall be subject to this Act, wherever they may be, namely:–
(a) officers and subordinate officer; and
(b) under-officers and other persons enrolled under this Act.
(2) Every person subject to this Act shall remain so subject until repatriated, retired, released,
discharged, removed or dismissed from the Force in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the
rules.