(1)

Where an offence under this Act has been committed by a company or a limited liability partnership firm or any such arrangement, every person who, at the time the offence was committed was in-charge of, and was responsible to the company or the limited liability partnership firm or any such arrangement, for the conduct of the business, and the company or the limited liability partnership firm or any such arrangement, shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly:

Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to any punishment, if 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 company or a limited liability partnership firm or any such arrangement 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 director, manager, secretary or partner or other officer of the company or the limited liability partnership firm or any such arrangement, as the case may be, such director, manager, secretary or partner or other officer, as the case may be; shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.