9. Members of authorities, etc., to be public servants.–Every member of the authorities referred to
in Chapter IV and every other officer exercising any of the powers conferred by or under this Act shall be
deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).
10. Protection of action taken in good faith.–(1) No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall
lie against any officer or other employee of the Central Government or the State Government for anything
which is in good faith done or intended to be done by or under this Act.
(2) No suit or other legal proceeding shall lie against the Central Government or the State
Government or any of its officers or other employees for any damage caused or likely to be caused by
anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act.
(3) No suit or other legal proceeding shall lie against any authority as referred to in Chapter IV
including its Chairperson, members, member-secretary, officers and other employees for anything which
is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act.
11. Nodal agency.–The Ministry of the Central Government dealing with Tribal Affairs or any
officer or authority authorised by the Central Government in this behalf shall be the nodal agency for the
implementation of the provisions of this Act.
12. Power of Central Government to issue directions.–In the performance of its duties and exercise
of its powers by or under this Act, every authority referred to in Chapter IV shall be subject to such
general or special directions, as the Central Government may, from time to time, give in writing.
13. Act not in derogation of any other law.–Save as otherwise provided in this Act and the
Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (40 of 1996), the provisions
of this Act shall be in addition to and not in derogation of the provisions of any other law for the time
being in force.
14. Power to make rules.–(1) The Central Government may, by notification, and subject to the
condition of previous publication, make rules for carrying out the provisions of this Act.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing powers, such rules may
provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:–
(a) procedural details for implementation of the procedure specified in section 6;
(b) the procedure for receiving claims, consolidating and verifying them and preparing a map
delineating the area of each recommended claim for exercise of forest rights under sub-section (1) of
section 6 and the manner of preferring a petition to the Sub-Divisional Committee under sub-section
(2) of that section;
(c) the level of officers of the departments of Revenue, Forest and Tribal Affairs of the State
Government to be appointed as members of the Sub-Divisional Level Committee, the District Level
Committee and the State Level Monitoring Committee under sub-section (8) of section 6;
(d) the composition and functions of the Sub-Divisional Level Committee, the District Level
Committee and the State Level Monitoring Committee and the procedure to be followed by them in
the discharge of their functions under sub-section (9) of section 6;
(e) any other matter which is required to be, or may be, prescribed.
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(3) Every rule made by the Central Government 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.