17Power to make rules

(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for regulating the practice and procedure of a Prize Court and for generally carrying out the purposes of this Act.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:--

(a) the institution of cases, issue and service of writs, summons and other processes, and entering appearance and making of claims;

(b) affidavits concerning ship papers or aircraft papers and other affidavits to be or which may be made in a Prize Court or for the purpose of proceedings in a Prize Court;

(c) pleadings, particulars, discovery and inspection of documents and facts, evidence and hearing;

(d) issue of warrants for arrest of prize, and detention of prize;

(e) sale, appraisement, safe custody and inspection of prize;

(f) bail and release;

(g) requisition by Central Government of ships, aircraft or goods in the custody of a Prize Court;

(h) appointment of assessors and their fees;

(i) enforcement and execution of decrees and orders;

(j) stay of proceedings;

(k) costs of or incidental to any proceedings in the Prize Court and as to the fees to be charged in respect of proceedings therein and as to the taking of security of costs;

(l) procedure for hearing appeals and other matters pertaining to appeals;

(m) appointment, duties and conduct of the officers of a Prize Court and costs, charges and expenses to be allowed to petitioners therein;

(n) the manner in which and the conditions subject to which the right of visit, search, detention or capture of any ship or aircraft or goods thereon may be exercised and the penalty for impeding the exercise of any such right;

(o) the manner in which any such ship or aircraft or goods seized by or under the authority of any officer of the Armed Forces of the Union shall be kept in custody or disposed of;

(p) the conditions for declaring any ship or aircraft or cargo thereon as hostile and for condemnation thereof;

(q) the manner in which a ship or aircraft recaptured from the enemy may be disposed of;

(r) the conditions subject to which a right of unhindered passage may be allowed to a ship or aircraft within the territory of India on the outbreak of hostilities or an armed conflict on the basis of reciprocity;

(s) any other matter which may be, or is required to be, prescribed by rules.

(3) All rules made under this section shall be laid, as soon as may be, after they are made, before each house of Parliament while it is in session for a total period of thirty days, which may be comprised in one or ¹[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 rules or both Houses agree that the rules should not be made, the rules 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 those rules.