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55. Penalties
If any person or entity covered under sub-section (2) of section 3 or section 7 contravenes or attempts to contravene or abets the contravention of the provisions of section 3 or section 4 or section 6 or section 7, such person shall be liable to pay penalty which shall not be less than one lakh rupees, but which may extend to fifty lakh rupees, but where the damage caused exceeds the amount of penalty, such penalty shall be commensurate with the damage caused, and in case, the failure or contravention continues, an additional penalty may be imposed, which shall not exceed one crore rupees and such penalty shall be decided by the adjudicating officer appointed under section 55A.
Note: Section 55 was substituted by the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023 (10 of 2023), with effect from 1 April 2024. The substituted section replaces the earlier offence-and-imprisonment regime with a civil penalty regime.
