7. Offences by members or officers of authorities and Committees under this Act.–Where any
authority or Committee or officer or member of such authority or Committee contravenes any provision
of this Act or any rule made thereunder concerning recognition of forest rights, it, or they, shall be
deemed to be guilty of an offence under this Act and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished
with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees:
Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any member of the authority or
Committee or head of the department or any person referred to in this section liable to any punishment if
he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he had exercised all due
diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.
8
8. Cognizance of offences.–No court shall take cognizance of any offence under section 7 unless any
forest dwelling Scheduled Tribe in case of a dispute relating to a resolution of a Gram Sabha or the Gram
Sabha through a resolution against any higher authority gives a notice of not less than sixty days to the
State Level Monitoring Committee and the State Level Monitoring Committee has not proceeded against
such authority.