Apprenticeship Act, 1931

Obligation to employ apprentices.

21. (1) Where any rules regulating the number of apprentices made by an apprenticeship committee are for the time being in force and such rules fix a standard number in relation to any specified employer, if and whenever such employer employs in the district of such committee in the trade for which such committee is established either no apprentice or a number of apprentices less than such standard number, such committee may make an order in the prescribed form requiring him to take into his employment by way of apprenticeship in such district in such trade such number of persons as will make the total number of apprentices employed by him in such district in such trade equal to such standard number.

(2) Whenever an order is duly made under the foregoing sub-section in relation to an employer and such order is personally served on such employer, it shall be the duty of such employer to comply with such order within one month after such service, and if he fails so to do he shall, unless he satisfies the Court that such failure was due to some unavoidable cause, be guilty of an offence under this section and be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding ten pounds.