33. Compensation for damage caused by commission of forest offence

When any person is convicted of removing, felling, cutting, ringing, marking, lopping or tapping any tree or timber, or of injuring them by fire or otherwise, in contravention of this Act, the convicting court may, in addition to any other penalty which it may award, order such person to pay to the Government such compensation for such tree or timber, in respect whereof the offence was committed, as it deems just.

If the person convicted of the offence committed is as the agent or servant of another person, the convicting court may, unless after hearing such other person it is satisfied that the commission of the offence was not a consequence of his instigation or of any neglect or default on his part, order him, instead of the person who committed the offence, to pay the compensation referred to in subsection (1).