The Central Provinces Land-Revenue Act, 1881

This Act may be called "The Central Provinces Land-revenue Act, 1881": Local extent. It extends to all the territories for the time being under the administration of the ChiefCommissioner of the Central Provinces, except those specified in Part VI of the first schedule of theScheduled Districts Act 1874: Commencement. and it shall come into force on such day as the Chief Commissioner, with theprevious sanction of the Governor General in Council, may direct by notification in the local officialGazette.

On and from such day the enactments mentioned in the schedule heretoannexed, so far as they relate to the territories to which this Act extends, and all other rules, regulations andenactments relating to the settlement and collection of the land-revenue in such territories, shall be repealed.

All proceedings relating to matters dealt with by this Act and, whenthis Act comes into force, pending before officers by whom they would be cognizable under thisAct, shall be deemed, so far as may be, to have been commenced hereunder.

In this Act, unless there is something repugnant in the subject orcontext, (1) “Assistant Commissioner” includes also “Extra Assistant Commissioner”: (2) “ Legal practitioner” means an advocate, vakil or attorney of any High Court, a pleader,mukhtar or revenue-agent: (3) “Village-cess” means any cess which a person resident or holding lands in a village pays orrenders to the proprietors as such of the village, and includes service rendered or things furnished aswell as money paid: (4) “Recognized agent” means a person authorized in writing by any party to a proceeding underthis Act to make appearances and applications and to do other acts on his behalf in such proceeding andalso belonging to any class which the Chief Commissioner may, from time to time, by notification inthe official Gazette, declare in this behalf: (5) “Agricultural year means the year commencing on the first day of June, or on such other dateas the Chief Commissioner may, in the case of any specified district or districts, from time to time,appoint: (6) “ Sir-land” means (a) land recorded as “sir” in the papers of the last preceding settlement of thelocal area in which such land is situate; and (b) land not so recorded, but which has been cultivated bythe proprietor or one of the proprietors thereof for a period of not less than twelve consecutive years;and (c) waste land which has been broken up by the proprietor or one of the proprietors thereof andcultivated by him for a period of not less than six consecutive years; and (d) in Sambalpur, includesalso “ bhogra” land. Explanation.Land which has, after the date of such settlement, or the expiry of such period oftwelve years, or six years (as the case may be), been for a period of six consecutive years unoccupiedby such proprietor is not sir-land. Land is not unoccupied by the proprietor when it is leased out by himwith an express reservation of his sir-rights: (7) “Mahal” means any local area held under a separate engagement for the payment of theland-revenue direct to Government, and Includes also any local area declared, under the provisions ofthis Act, to be a mahal: (8) “Village” includes any tract of land which, at the last settlement of such land, has beenrecognized as a village, or which the Chief Commissioner may, from time to time, declare to be avillage for the purposes of this Act: (9) “Malguzar” means a person who, under the provisions of this Act, has accepted, or is to bedeemed to have accepted, the assessment of a mahal, and includes his representatives and assigns; andalso any person with whom a settlement has been made before this Act comes into force, and hisrepresentatives and assigns: (10) “Malik-makbuza” means any person owning one or more plots of land assessed with revenuein a mahal; but it does not include a malguzar or inferior proprietor: (11) “Lambardar” means a person appointed in manner prescribed by this Act to represent theproprietary body of a mahal in its relations with the Government: (12) “Sub-lambardar” means a person so appointed to represent the inferior proprietary body of amahal in its relations with the superior proprietors: (13) “Mukaddam” means the executive headman of a village, appointed in manner prescribed bythis Act: (14) “Tenant” means a person who holds land of another person, and is, or but for a special contractwould be, liable to pay rent for such land to such other person; but it does not include a farmer,mortgagee or the kadar of proprietary rights. Explanation.An inferior proprietor is not, as such, a tenant: (15) “Rent” means whatever is paid, delivered or rendered, in money, kind or service, by atenant on account of the use or occupation of land let to him: (16) “Absolute occupancy-tenant” means, in reference to any land, a tenant who, at a settlementof such land made before this Act comes into force, or after such a settlement but before this Actcomes into force, was recorded, by order of a Revenue or Settlement-officer, in respect of suchland, as an “absolute occupancy-raiyat,” or in terms equivalent thereto: (17) “Record-of-rights” includes the supplementary administration-paper prepared at or afterthe time of making a settlement before this Act comes into force.

The Chief Commissioner shall, subject to the control ofthe Governor General in Council, be the Chief Controlling Revenue-authority.