Compounding of offences permits settlement by payment, subject to court leave and Central Authority approval, barring further proceedings. Compounding allows specified offences to be settled by payment, before or after prosecution, but requires court leave where a complaint is filed and must not exceed the statutory maximum fine. The Central Authority or an authorised officer may compound offences; repeat or similar offences within three years are excluded. A valid compounding bars further proceedings, and acceptance of the compounding sum is deemed an acquittal under the Code of Criminal Procedure.