The Indian Post Office Act, 1898

(1) This Act may be called the Indian PostOffice Act, 1898. 1[(2) It extends to the whole of India 2*** and it applies also to all citizens of India outside India.] (3) It shall come into force on the first day of July, 1898.

In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,-- (a) the expression "Director General" means the Director General of 1[Posts and Telegraphs]; (b) the expression "inland", used in relation to a postal article, means-- (i) posted in 2[India] and addressed to any place in 2[India] or to any place for which a postoffice is established by the 3[Central Government 4***] beyond the limits of 5[India]; or (ii) posted at any post office established by the 3[Central Government 4***] beyond the limitsof 2[India] and addressed to any place for which any such post office is established or to any placein 2[India]: 5[Provided that the expression "inland" shall not apply to any class of postal articles whichmay be specified in this behalf by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette,when posted in or at or addressed to any places of post offices which may be described in suchnotification;] (c) the expression "mail bag" includes a bag, box, parcel or any other envelope or covering inwhich postal articles in course of transmission by post are conveyed, whether it does or does notcontain any such article; (d) the expression "mail ship" means a ship employed for carrying mails, pursuant to contract orcontinuing arrangement, by the Central Government or Her Majesty's Government or theGovernment of any British possession or foreign country; (e) the expression "officer of the Post Office" includes any person employed in any business ofthe Post office or on behalf of the Post Office; (f) the expression "postage" means the duty chargeable for the transmission by post of postalarticles; (g) the expression "postage stamp" means any stamp provided by the Central Government fordenoting postage or other fees or sums payable in respect of postal articles under this Act, andincludes adhesive postage stamps and stamps printed, embossed, impressed or otherwise indicated onany envelope, wrapper, postcard or other article; (h) the expression "Post Office" includes every house, building, room, carriage or place used forthe purposes of the Post Office, and every letter-box provided by the Post Office for the reception ofpostal articles; (i) the expression "postal article" includes a letter, postcard, newspaper, book, pattern or samplepacket, parcel and every article or thing transmissible by post; (j) the expression "Post Master General" includes a Deputy Post Master General or other officerexercising the powers of a Post Master General; and (k) the expression "Post Office" means the department, 6[established for the purposes of carryingthe provisions of this Act into effect and] presided over by the Director General. 7* * * * *

For the purposes of thisAct-- (a) a postal article shall be deemed to be in course of transmission by the post from the time of itsbeing delivered to a post office to the time of its being delivered to the addressee or of its beingreturned to the sender or otherwise disposed of under Chapter VII; (b) the delivery of a postal article of any description to a postman or other person authorised toreceive postal articles of that description for the post shall be deemed to be a delivery to a post office;and (c) the delivery of a postal article at the house or office of the addressee, or to the addressee or hisservant or agent or other person considered to be authorised to receive the article according to theusual manner of delivering postal articles to the addressee, shall be deemed to be delivery to theaddressee.

(1) Wherever within1[India] posts or postal communications are established by the Central Government, the CentralGovernment shall have the exclusive privilege of conveying by post, from one place to another, all lettersexcept in the following cases, and shall also have the exclusive privilege of performing all the incidentalservices of receiving, collecting, sending, dispatching and delivering all letters, except in the followingcases that is to say:-- (a) letters sent by a private friend in his way, journey or travel, to be delivered by him to theperson to whom they are directed, without hire, reward or other profit or advantages for receiving,carrying or delivering them; (b) letters solely concerning the affairs of the sender or receiver thereof, sent by a messenger onpurpose; and (c) letters solely concerning goods or property, sent either by sea or by land to be delivered withthe goods or property which the letters concern, without hire, reward or other profit or advantage forreceiving, carrying or delivering them: Provided that nothing in this section shall authorise any person to make a collection of letters expected asaforesaid for the purpose of sending them otherwise than by post. (2) For the purposes of this section and section 5, the expression "letters" includes postcards.

Wherever within 1[India] posts orpostal communications are established by the Central Government, the following persons are expresslyforbidden to collect, carry, tenderer deliver letters, or to receive letters for the purpose of carrying ordelivering them, although they obtain no hire, reward or other profit or advantage for so doing, that is tosay:-- (a) common carriers of passengers or goods, and their servants or agents, except as regards letterssolely concerning goods in their carts or carriages; and (b) owners and masters of vessels sailing or passing on any river or canal in 1[India], or betweenany ports or places in 1[India], and their servants or agents, except as regards letters solely concerninggoods on board, and except as regards postal articles received for conveyance under Chapter VIII.