(1) A complaint may be made, and any information, other than an information under section 21, may be laid, under this Act within 12 months from the time when the matter of such complaint or information arose, and not subsequently; and any information under section 21 may be laid at any time before the child mentioned in such information has attained the age of 5 years.
(2) The defendant in any proceeding under this Act may appear by any person authorised by him or her in that behalf. However, this section does not apply to any proceedings in respect of a false certificate or duplicate, or in respect of inoculation with variolous matter.