What section 33 does
Controls how proceedings for offences are initiated and taken cognizance of.
Connected instrument: Revised enforcement architecture
Finin2min practical reading
- Identify the apprentice category, trade, establishment jurisdiction and applicable portal before applying the provision.
- Separate statutory apprenticeship from internships, probation, traineeships and ordinary employment.
- Do not treat scheme reimbursement as a substitute for the employer’s underlying statutory obligations.
- Preserve the contract, approvals, portal trail and training evidence as one auditable file.
Employer control and evidence pack
- Executed/registered contract and portal acknowledgement
- Training plan, attendance/work diary and supervisor records
- Stipend bank/DBT evidence where relevant
- Adviser approval, correspondence or order where the section requires it
Statutory text extract
Extracted from the bundled official/consolidated source. For sections amended in 2026, the current overlay above controls over older consolidated wording.
33. Cognizance of offences.—No court shall take cognizance of any offence under this Act or the rules made thereunder except on a complaint thereof in writing made by the Apprenticeship Adviser1[or the officer of the rank of Deputy Apprenticeship Adviser and above] within six months from the date on which the offence is alleged to have been committed.
Compliance consequence
Failure should be tested against sections 30, 31 and 31A as in force from 22 June 2026, alongside contract termination/compensation consequences and any portal or scheme action.