¹[(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), the Regional Director or any other officer not below the rank of Regional Director authorised by the Central Government may compound any offence under this Act which is punishable with fine only, by collecting from a person reasonably suspected of having committed the offence, a sum which may extend to the amount of the maximum fine provided for the offence but shall not be lower than the minimum amount provided for the offence.
    (2) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall apply to an offence committed by a limited liability partnership or its partner or its designated partner within a period of three years from the date on which similar offence committed by it or him was compounded under this section.
    Explanation.--For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that any second or subsequent offence committed after the expiry of the period of three years from the date on which the offence was previously compounded, shall be deemed to be the first offence.
    (3) Every application for the compounding of an offence shall be made to the Registrar who shall forward the same, together with his comments thereon, to the Regional Director or any other officer not below the rank of Regional Director authorised by the Central Government, as the case may be.
    (4) Where any offence is compounded under this section, whether before or after the institution of any prosecution, intimation thereof shall be given to the Registrar within a period of seven days from the date on which the offence is so compounded.
    (5) Where any offence is compounded before the institution of any prosecution, no prosecution shall be instituted in relation to such offence.
    (6) Where the compounding of any offence is made after the institution of any prosecution, such compounding shall be brought by the Registrar in writing, to the notice of the court in which prosecution is pending and on such notice of the compounding of the offence being given, the offender in relation to which the offence is so compounded shall be discharged.
    (7) The Regional Director or any other officer not below the rank of Regional Director authorised by the Central Government, while dealing with the proposal for compounding of an offence may, by an order, direct any partner, designated partner or other employee of the limited liability partnership to file or register, or on payment of fee or additional fee as required to be paid under this Act, such return, account or other document within such time as may be specified in the order.
    (8) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, if any partner or designated partner or other employee of the limited liability partnership who fails to comply with any order made by the Regional Director or any other officer not below the rank of Regional Director authorised by the Central Government, under sub-section (7), the maximum amount of fine for the offence, which was under consideration of Regional Director or such authorised officer for compounding under this section shall be twice the amount provided in the corresponding section in which punishment for such offence is provided.