THE INDIAN POST OFFICE ACT, 1898

ACT NO. 6 OF 1898 · Enacted [22nd March, 1898.] · 83 sections

PRELIMINARY

Section 1.Short title, extent, application and commencement.

Section 2.Definitions.

Section 3.Meanings of “in course of transmission by post” and “delivery”.

PRIVILEGE AND PROTECTION OF THE GOVERNMENT

Section 4.Exclusive privilege of conveying letters reserved to the Government.

Section 5.Certain persons expressly forbidden to convey letters.

Section 6.Exemption from liability for loss, misdelivery, delay or damage.

POSTAGE

Section 7.Power to fix rates of inland postage.

Section 8.Power to make rules as to payment of postage and fees in certain cases.

Section 9.Power to make rules as to registered newspapers.

Section 10.Power to declare rates of foreign postage.

Section 11.Liability for payment of postage.

Section 12.Recovery of postage and other sums due in respect of postal articles.

Section 13.Customs duty paid by the post office to be recoverable as postage.

Section 14.Post Office marks prima facie evidence of certain facts denoted.

Section 15.Official mark to be evidence of amount of postage.

POSTAGE STAMPS

Section 16.Provision of postage stamps and power to make rules as to them.

Section 17.Postage stamps to be deemed to be stamps for the purpose of revenue.

CONDITIONS OF TRANSMISSION OF POSTAL ARTICLES

Section 18.Redelivery to sender of postal article in course of transmission by post.

Section 19.Transmission by post of anything injurious prohibited.

Section 19A.Transmission by post of tickets, proposals, etc., relating to unauthorised lotteries prohibited.

Section 20.Transmission by post of anything indecent, etc., prohibited.

Section 21.Power to make rules as to transmission by post of postal articles.

Section 22.Power to postpone dispatch or delivery of certain postal articles.

Section 23.Power to deal with postal articles posted in contravention of Act.

Section 24.Power to deal with postal articles containing goods contraband or liable to duty.

Section 24A.Power to deliver such articles to Customs authority.

Section 25.Power to intercept notified goods during transmission by post.

Section 26.Power to intercept postal articles for public good.

Section 27.Power to deal with postal articles from abroad bearing fictitious or previously used stamps.

Section 27A.Prohibition of transmission by post of certain newspapers.

Section 27B.Power to detain newspapers and other articles being transmitted by post.

Section 27C.Procedure for disposal by High Court of applications for release of newspapers and articles so detained.

Section 27D.Jurisdiction barred.

REGISTRATION, INSURANCE AND VALUE-PAYABLE POST

Section 28.Registration of postal articles.

Section 29.Power to make rules as to registration.

Section 30.Insurance of postal articles.

Section 31.Power to require insurance of postal articles.

Section 32.Power to make rules as to insurance.

Section 33.Liability in respect of postal articles insured.

Section 34.Transmission by post of value-payable postal articles.

Section 35.Power to make rules as to value-payable postal articles.

Section 36.Power to give effect to arrangements with other countries.

UNDELIVERED POSTAL ARTICLES

Section 37.Power to make rules as to disposal of undelivered postal articles.

Section 38.Disposal of undelivered postal articles at office of Post Master General.

Section 39.Final disposal of undelivered postal articles.

SHIP LETTERS

Section 40.Duty of master of ship, departing from any port in India and not being a mail ship, to convey mail bags.

Section 41.Duty of master of ship arriving at any port in India in respect of postal articles and mail bags on board.

Section 42.Allowance of gratuities for conveyance of postal articles by ships other than mail ships.

MONEY ORDERS

Section 43.Power to maintain money order system and to make rules as to remittances thereby.

Section 44.Power for remitter to recall money order or alter name of payee.

Section 45.Power to provide for the issue of postal orders.

Section 46.Power to give effect to arrangements with other countries.

Section 47.Recovery of money order paid to the wrong person.

Section 48.Exemption from liability in respect of money orders.

PENLTIES AND PROCEDURE — Offences by officers of the Post Office

Section 49.Penalty for misconduct of person employed to carry or deliver mail bags or postal articles.

Section 50.Penalty for voluntary withdrawal from duty, without permission or notice, of person employed to carry or deliver mail bags or postal articles.

Section 51.Penalty for making false entry in register kept by person employed to carry or deliver any postal articles.

Section 52.Penalty for theft, dishonest misappropriation, secretion, destruction, or throwing away of postal articles.

Section 53.Penalty for opening, detaining or delaying postal articles.

Section 54.Penalty for fraud in connection with official marks and for receipt of excess postage.

Section 55.Penalty for fraudulently preparing, altering secreting or destroying Post Office documents.

Section 56.Penalty for fraudulently sending unpaid postal articles.

Section 57.[Repealed.].

PENLTIES AND PROCEDURE — Other offences

Section 58.Penalty for contravention of section 4.

Section 59.Penalty for contravention of section 5.

Section 60.Penalty for breach of rules under section 16.

Section 61.Penalty for contravention of section 19, 19A or 20.

Section 62.Penalty for defiling or injuring post office letter-boxes.

Section 63.Penalty for affixing without authority thing to, or painting, tarring or disfiguring, post office or post office letter-box.

Section 64.Penalty for making false declaration.

Section 65.Penalty for master of ship failing to comply with the provisions of section 40 or 41.

Section 66.Penalty for detention of letters on board vessel arriving in port.

Section 67.Penalty for detaining mails or opening mail bag.

Section 68.Penalty for retaining postal articles wrongly delivered or mail bags.

Section 69.Penalty for unlawfully diverting letters.

PENLTIES AND PROCEDURE — General

Section 70.Penalty for abetting or attempting to commit, offences under Act.

Section 71.Property in cases of offences to be laid in the Post Office.

Section 72.Authority for prosecutions under certain sections of Act.

SUPPLEMENTAL

Section 73.Zamindari and other district posts.

Section 74.General power to make rules and provisions as to rules under Act.

Section 75.Delegation of powers, other than rule-making powers to Director General.

Section 76.[Repealed.].

Section 77.[Repealed.].