(1) This Act may be called the Bombay Village Police (Appointments and disciplinary action by Sub-Divisional Magistrates, Validation) Act, 1967.
(2) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 25th day of January 1967.
In section 3 of the Bombay Village Police Act, 1867 (Bom. VIII of 1867), for the portion beginning with the words "the Commissioner, be exercised" and ending with the words "any portion thereof", the following shall be, and shall be deemed always to have been, substituted, namely:-
"the State Government and the Commissioner, be exercised by the Magistrate of the district, who may, with the sanction of the State Government or the Commissioner, delegate all or any of the powers conferred on or exercisable by him by or under any of the provisions of this Act, including the power to appoint Police-patels under section 5 and also the power under section 9 to take action against Police-patels or members of a village establishment liable to be called on for performance of Police duties"
Any appointment of a Police-patel made, or any disciplinary action taken against such patel, or any member of a village establishment under section 9, by any Magistrate by virtue of the powers of the Magistrate of the district purported to have been delegated to him under the Bombay Village Police Act, 1867 (Bom. VIII of 1867), and any orders made by the State Government or the Commissioner in the purported exercise of its or his powers of supervisory authority and control in respect of any such appointment or disciplinary action, at any time before the commencement of this Act, shall be deemed to have been made or taken, by or under the Bombay Village Police Act, 1867 (Bom. VIII of 1867), as amended by this Act. And accordingly, notwithstanding anything in any judgement, decree or order of any Court, any such appointment, disciplinary action or order shall be deemed to have been validly made or taken; and any such appointment, disciplinary action or order or anything done by the Police-patels in the exercise of their powers by or under the Bombay Village Police Act, 1867 (Bom. VIII of 1867) or any other law for the time being in force shall not be called in question (or if questioned shall not be maintained) in any Court or before any tribunal or authority merely on the ground that the Magistrate had no power to make the appointment or to take the action, or that the State Government or the Commissioner had no power to interfere in the matter, or had not exercised its or his powers for such interference by or under some other provision of that Act or that the Police-patel was not properly appointed, nor on any ground consequential to the grounds aforesaid.
The Bombay Village Police (Appointments and disciplinary action by Sub-Divisional Magistrates, Validation) Ordinance, 1967 (Mah. Ord. II of 1967), is hereby repealed.