Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 · Chapter VII: Penalties and Procedure
Section 48: Penalty for contravention by Government Department
(1) Where contravention of any provision of this Act has been committed by any Department of the Central Government or State Government, the Head of the Department shall be liable to pay the penalty equal to one month of his basic salary:
Provided that such Head of the Department shall not be liable for such contravention, if he proves that the contravention was committed without his knowledge or instructions or that he exercised all due diligence to prevent such contravention.
(2) Where any contravention under sub-section (1) is attributable to any neglect on the part of, any officer, other than the Head of the Department, such officer shall be liable to pay the penalty equal to one month of his basic salary: Provided that such officer shall not be liable for the contravention, if he proves that he exercised all due diligence to avoid such contravention.]
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.