Section 42:
Offences by Departments of Government.
(1) Where an offence under this Act has been
committed by a Department of the Government, the head of the Department shall be deemed to be
guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly unless he
proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to
prevent the commission of such offence.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence under this Act has
been committed by a Department of the Government and it is proved that the offence has been
committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any neglect on the part of, any
officer, other than the head of the Department, such officer shall be deemed to be guilty of that offence
and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.