The Indian post office act, 1898 (Bare Act)/ Universal Law Publishing

THE IIVDIAN POST OFFICE ACT, 1898
Introduction . . . . I
Section
CHAPTER I ,
PRELIMINARY
I
1. Short title, extent, application and comtnencemcnt . . . 3
2. Definitions* • . . . 3
3. Meanings of "in course of transmission by post" and "delivery" . . 4
CHAPTER II
PRIVILEGE AND PROTECTION OF THE GOVERNMENT
4. Exelusive privilege of conveying letters reserved to the Government . . 5
5. Certain persons expressly forbidden to convey letters . 5
6. Exemption from liability for loss, misdelivery, delay or damage . . 5,
CHAPTER III
POSTAGE
7. Power to fix rates of inland postage
8. Power to make rules as to payment of postage and fees in certain cases
9. Power to make rules as to registered newspapers
10. Power to declare rates of foreign postage
11. Liability for payment of postage
12. Recovery of postage and other sums due in respeet of postal articles
13. Customs duty paid by the Post Office to be recoverable as postage
14. Post Office marks prima facie evidence of certain facts denoted
15. Official mark to be evidence of amount of postage

CHAPTER IV
* POSTAGE STAMPS
16. Provision of postage stamps and power to make rules as to them
17. Postage stamps to be deemed to be stamps for the purpose of revenue
8
9
CONDITIONS OF TRANSMISSION OF POSTAL ARTICLES
18. Redelivery to sender of postal article in course
of transmission by post
19. Transmission by post of anything injurious prohibited
19A. Transmission by post of tickets, proposals, etc., relating to unauthorised lotteries prohibited .
20. Transmission by post of anything indecent, etc., prohibited
21. Power to make rules as to transmission by post of postal articles
22. Power to postpone despatch or delivery of certain postal articles
23. Power to deal with postal articles posted in contravention of Act
24. Power to deal with postal articles containing goods contraband or liable to duty
24A. Power to deliver such articles to. Customs authority • '
25. Power to intercept notified goods during transmission by post
26. Power to intercept postal articles for public good
27. Power to deal with postal articles from abroad bearing fictitious or previously used stamps
27A. Prohibition of transmission by post of certain newspapers
27B. Power to detain newspapers and other articles being transmitted by post
27C. Procedure for disposal by High Court of applications for release of newspapers and articles so detained
27D. Jurisdiction barred
CHAPTER Vi
REGISTRATION, INSURANCE AND VALUE-PAYABLE POST
28. Registration of postal articles
29. Power to make rules as to registration
30. Insurance of postal articles
31. Power to require insurance of postal articles
32. Power to make rules as to insurance
33. Liability in respect of postal articles insured
34. Transmission by post of value-payable postal articles
35. Power to make rules as to value-payable postal articles
36. Power to ^ive effect to arrangements with other countries
CHAPTER VII
UNDELIVERED POSTAL ARTICLES
37. Power to make rules as to disposal of undelivered postal articles
38. Disposal of undelivered postal articles at office of Post Master General.
39. Final disposal of undelivered postal articles .

CHAPTER VIII
SHIP LETTERS
40. Duty of master of ship, departing from any port in India and not being a mail ship, to convey mail bags.
41. Duty of master of ship arriving at any port in India in respect of postal articles and mail bags on board
42. Allowances of gratuities for conveyance of postal articles by ships other than mail ships .

CHAPTER IX
money orders
43. Power to maintain money order system and to make rules as to remittances thereby
44. Power for remitter to recall money order or alter name of payee
45. Power to provide for the issue of postal orders.
46. Power to give effect to arrangements with other countries .
47. Recovery of money order paid to the wrong person
48. Exemption from liability in respect of money orders

CHAPTER IX
PENALTIES AND PROCEDURE Offences by Officers of the Post Office
49. Penalty for misconduct of person employed to carry or deliver mail bags or postal articles 50. Penalty for voluntary withdrawal from duty, without permission or notice, of person employed to cany or deliver mail bags or postal articles . 51. Penalty for making false entry in register kept by person employed to cany or deliver any postal articles 52. Penalty for theft, dishonest misappropriation, secretion, destruction, or throwing,away of postal articles 53. Penalty for opening, detaining or delaying postal articles . 54. Penalty for fraud in connection with official marks and for receipt of excess postage

55. Penalty for frauduently preparing, altering,
secreting or destroying Post Office documents .
56. Penalty for fraudulently sending unpaid postal articles
57. Punishment of offences committed in a tribal area, acceding State or other Indian State

Other Offences
58. Penalty for contravention of section 4
59. Penalty for contravention of section 5
60. Penalty for breach of rules under section 16 .
61. Penalty for contravention of section 19, 19A or 20
62j Penalty for defiling or injuring post office letter-boxes
63. Penalty for affixing without authority thing to, or painting, tarring or disfiguring post office or post office letter-boxes
64. Penalty for making false declaration . . .
65. Penalty for master of ship failing to comply with the. provisions of section 40 or 41
66. Penalty for detention of letters on board vessel arriving in port
67. Penalty for detaining mails or opening mail bag
68. Penalty for retaining postal articles wrongly delivered or mail bags .
69. Penalty for unlawfully diverting letters
General
/ 70. Penalty for abetting or attempting to commit, offences under Act
71. Property in cases of offences to be laid in the Post Office .
72. Authority for prosecutions under certain sections of Act .
CHAPTER XI
SUPPLEMENTAL
73. Zamindari and other district posts
74. General power to make rules and provisions as to rules under Act
75. Delegation of powers, other than rule-making powers to Director General
76. [Repealed]
77. Saving
THE FIRST SCHEDULE—Inland Postage Rates
THE SECOND SCHEDULE/Repea/erfy