THE LOK SAHAYAK SENA ACT, 1956 
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ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 
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SECTIONS 

1.  Short title and extent. 
2.  Definitions. 
3.  Constitution of the Lok Sahayak Sena. 
4.  Establishment of camps. 
5.  Enrolment. 
6.  Duties of volunteers. 
7.  Discharge. 
8.  Offences and penalties. 
9.  Liability for causing loss of, or damage to, Government property. 
10.  Presumption as to certain documents. 
11.  Power to make rules. 

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THE LOK SAHAYAK SENA ACT, 1956 

ACT NO. 53 OF 1956 

[15th September, 1956.] 

An  Act  to  provide  for  the  constitution  of  Lok  Sahayak  Sena  for  imparting  military  training  to 

citizens of India. 

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:— 

1. Short title and extent.—(1) This Act may be called the Lok Sahayak Sena Act, 1956. 

(2) It extends to the whole of India. 

2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— 

(a) “camp” means any place established under section 4 as a camp where any  body of volunteers 

is for the time being undergoing training; 

(b) “Force” means the Lok Sahayak Sena constituted under this Act; 

(c) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act; 

(d)  “superior  officer”  means  any  officer,  junior  commissioned  officer,  warrant  officer  or                 

non-commissioned officer of the regular Army or of the Territorial Army; 

(e) “volunteer” means a person enrolled in the Force under this Act; 

(f)  all  words  and  expressions  used  in  this  Act  and  not  defined  but  defined  in  the  Army                     

Act, 1950 (46 of 1950), or in the Territorial Army Act, 1948 (56 of 1948), shall have the meanings 
respectively assigned to them in the said Acts. 

3.  Constitution  of  the  Lok  Sahayak  Sena.—There  shall  be  raised  and  maintained  by  the  Central 
Government a force to be designated the Lok Sahayak Sena by the enrolment of volunteers in the manner 
hereinafter provided. 

4. Establishment of camps.—The Central Government may establish such number of camps for the 

purposes of the Force as it thinks fit and may close down or re-establish any such camps. 

5. Enrolment.—Any citizen of India not below the age of eighteen years and not above the age of 
forty  years  may  offer  himself  for  enrolment  as  a  volunteer  and  may,  if  he  satisfies  the  prescribed 
conditions, be enrolled in the prescribed manner by the prescribed authority for such period and subject to 
such conditions as may be prescribed. 

6.  Duties  of  volunteers.—No  person  shall,  on  the  ground  only  of  being  a  volunteer  be  liable  for 
military service, but subject thereto a volunteer may be called upon to undergo such training as may be 
prescribed, and while undergoing such training shall perform such duties and discharge such obligations 
as the prescribed authority may, by general or special order, direct. 

7.  Discharge.—Every  volunteer  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  his  discharge  from  the  Force  on  the 
expiration  of  the  period  for  which  he  was  enrolled,  but  may,  prior  to  the  expiration  of  that  period,  be 
discharged from the Force by such authority and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed. 

8.  Offences  and  penalties.—(1)  If  any  volunteer  commits  any  of  the  following  offences,  that  is          

to say,— 

(i) without sufficient cause fails to attend at any place when duly required to do so; or 

(ii) while in camp on duty— 

(a) absents himself from the camp without leave; 

(b) uses criminal force or uses threatening or insubordinate language to a superior officer or 

assaults a superior officer; 

(c) disobeys any lawful command of a superior officer; 

(d)  neglects  to  obey  any  standing,  general  or  other  orders  by  the  officer  commanding  the 

camp; 

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(e)  uses  criminal  force  to,  or  assaults,  any  volunteer  or  any  person  subject  to  the  Army       

Act, 1950 (46 of 1950), or the Territorial Army Act, 1948 (56 of 1948); 

(f) knowingly does any act which is prejudicial to the maintenance of good  order or military 

discipline in camp; 

he shall be punishable summarily by order of the prescribed authority with fine which may extend to fifty 
rupees or, in default, by being confined to barracks for a term which may extend to seven days. 

(2) Any fine imposed by order of the prescribed authority under sub-section (1), may on application 
made in this behalf by the prescribed authority to a magistrate having jurisdiction in the place where the 
volunteer resides or has a place of business, be recovered in accordance with the provisions of the Code 
of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (5 of 1898), as if it were a fine imposed by such magistrate. 

9. Liability for causing loss of, or damage to, Government property.—If any volunteer wilfully or 
negligently causes loss of, or damage to, any property of the Government, the prescribed authority may, 
after giving him an opportunity of being heard and after making such inquiry into the matter as it thinks 
fit, make an order requiring him to make good the loss or damage within such time as may be specified in 
the order within such further time as may be allowed by the prescribed authority in this behalf, and where 
the amount thereof as determined by the prescribed authority is not paid within the time allowed, it shall, 
on  application  made  by  the  prescribed  authority  to  the  Collector  of  the  district  in  which  the  volunteer 
resides  or  has   a  place  of  business,  be  recovered  from  him  in  the  same  manner  as  an  arrear  of  land 
revenue. 

10. Presumption as to certain documents.—Where a volunteer is required by or in pursuance of any 
rule  made  under  this  Act to  attend  at any  place,  a  certificate  purporting  to  be  signed  by  the  prescribed 
officer, stating that the volunteer so required to attend failed to do so in accordance with such requirement 
shall,  without  proof  of  the  signature  or  appointment  of  such  officer,  be  evidence  of  the  matters  stated 
therein. 

11. Power to make rules.—(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, 

make rules to carry out the purposes of this Act. 

(2)  In  particular,  and  without  prejudice  to  the  generality  of  the  foregoing  power,  such  rules  may 

provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:— 

(a)  the  authorities  by  which,  the  manner  in  which,  the  period  for  which,  and  the  conditions 

subject to which, any person may be enrolled as a volunteer; 

(b)  the  training,  discipline,  duties,  and  obligations  which  a  volunteer  has  to  undergo,  observe, 

perform or discharge under this Act; 

(c) the authorities by which, and the conditions subject to which, a volunteer may be discharged; 

(d) the manner in which, and the conditions subject to which,  a volunteer may be called out for 

training or duties; 

(e) the determination of authorities for the purposes of this Act; 

(f)  the officers by whom certificates may be signed under section 10; and 

(g) any other matter which under this Act is to be or may be prescribed. 

1[(3) Every rule made under this section shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each 
House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in 
one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately 
following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification 
in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only 
in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or 
annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.] 

1. Subs. by Act 4 of 1986, s. 2 and the Schedule, for sub-section (3) (w.e.f. 15-5-1986). 

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