Offences and penalties arising out of the non-compliance with the provisions of the Act have been defined along with the substantive provisions themselves. However, for defaults/ non-compliance on procedural matters such as time limits for filing requirements, penalties have been provided for application in a non-discretionary manner, through the levy of a default fee for every day for which the default continues. Such default fee would be payable at the rate of rupee one hundred per day after the expiry of the date of filing (as prescribed in relevant provision) upto a period of three hundred days. Charging of such default fees would, however, be without prejudice to any other action or liability under the Act, in case the filing is made beyond the expiry of three hundred days.
The offences can be punished either (i) through payment of fine or (ii) through payment of fine as well as imprisonment of the offender. The Judicial Magistrate of the first class, or, as the case may be, the Metropolitan Magistrate shall have jurisdiction to try offences under the LLP Act.
Though most of the offences in the Act provide for punishment by way of charging fine, imprisonment has been provided for in respect of violations relating to
(i) making by any person a false statement at the time of incorporation of LLP (ii) carrying on business of LLP with intent to defraud or for any fraudulent purposes and (iii) making, knowingly, false statements or omitting any material fact, in any return, documents etc under the Act. The offences which are punishable with fine only can be compounded by the Central Government, by collecting a sum not exceeding the amount of maximum fine prescribed for the offence.
Further, for defaults/non-compliance on procedural matters such as time limits for filing requirements provisions have been made for charging default fees (on daily basis) in a non-discretionary manner.
The Act contains provisions empowering Central Government to compound any offence punishable with fine only by collecting a sum not exceeding the amount of maximum fine prescribed for the offence.
Enabling provisions have also been made in the Act in respect of protection to “Whistle Blowers”.