The master or person in charge of a merchant vessel, on board of which any deserter from the Army,¹[Navy or Air Force] of the²[Government of India] is concealed, shall, though ignorant of such concealment, be liable to a penalty not exceeding five hundred rupees, if he might have known of such concealment but for some neglect of his duty as such master or person in charge, or but for some want of discipline on board of the vessel.

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1. Substituted by Act 10 of 1927, section 2 and Schedule I, for "or Navy".

2. Substituted by the A.O. 1950, for "Queen".