Sale of Goods Act, 1930
17. Preventive action to be taken by the law and order machinery
(1) A District Magistrate or a Sub-divisional Magistrate or any
other Executive Magistrate or any police officer not below the rank of a Deputy
Superintendent of Police may, on receiving information and after such inquiry
as he may think necessary, has reason to believe that a person or a group of
persons not belonging to the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes, residing
in or frequenting any place within the local limits of his jurisdiction is
likely to commit an offence or has threatened to commit any offence under this
Act and is of the opinion that there is sufficient ground for proceeding,
declare such an area to be an area prone to atrocities and take necessary
action for keeping the peace and good behavior and maintenance of public order and
tranquility and may take preventive action.
(2) The provisions of Chapters VIII, X and XI of the Code shall,
so far as may be, apply for the purposes of sub-section (1).
(3) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette,
make one or more schemes specifying the manner in which the officers referred
to in sub-section (1) shall take appropriate action specified in such scheme or
schemes to prevent atrocities and to restore the feeling of security amongst
the members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.