1. Short title, extent, application and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Indian Post
Office Act, 1898.
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[(2) It extends to the whole of India 3*** and it applies also to all citizens of India outside India.]
(3) It shall come into force on the first day of July, 1898.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,—
(a) the expression “Director General” means the Director General of 4
[Posts and Telegraphs];
(b) the expression “inland”, used in relation to a postal article, means—
(i) posted in 5
[India] and addressed to any place in 5
[India] or to any place for which a post
office is established by the 6
[Central Government 7***] beyond the limits of 5
[India]; or
(ii) posted at any post office established by the 6
[Central Government 7***] beyond the limits
of 5
[India] and addressed to any place for which any such post office is established or to any place
in 5
[India]:
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[Provided that the expression “inland” shall not apply to any class of postal articles which
may 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 such
notification;]
(c) the expression “mail bag” includes a bag, box, parcel or any other envelope or covering in
which postal articles in course of transmission by post are conveyed, whether it does or does not
contain any such article;
1. Amended in its application to—
(1) the excluded and partially excluded areas in Assam by Assam Regulations 2 of 1941 and 1 of 1942 respectively;
(2) the partially excluded areas in Bihar by Bihar Regulation 3 of 1942;
(3) the partially excluded areas in C.P. and Berar by C.P. and Berar Regulation 1 of 1942;
(4) the partially excluded areas in Orissa by Orissa Regulation 1 of 1942;
(5) the partially excluded areas in U.P. Regulation 2 of 1942; and
(6) the Darjeeling District by Bengal Regulation 7 of 1942.
The Act has been extended to—
(1) Goa, Daman and Diu (w.e.f. 1-9-1962): vide Notification No. S.O. 2735, dated the 1st September, 1962, see
Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Pt. II, sec. 3 (ii), pp. 1991-92.
(2) Dadra and Nagar Haveli (w.e.f. 1-7-1965) by Reg. 6 of 1963, s. 2 and the First Schedule.
(3) Lakshadweep (w.e.f. 1-10-1967): vide Reg. 8 of 1965, s. 3 and the First Schedule.
2. Subs. by the A.O. 1950.
3. The words “except Part B States” omitted by Act 25 of 1950, s. 11 and the Fourth Schedule.
4. Subs. by Act 14 of 1914, s. 3, for “the Post Office of India”.
5. Subs. by Act 25 of 1950, s. 11 and the Fourth Schedule, for “the States”.
6. Subs. by the A.O. 1937, for “the G.G. in C.”.
7. The words “or the Crown Representative” omitted by the A.O. 1948.
8. Ins. by Act 2 of 1903, s. 2.
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(d) the expression “mail ship” means a ship employed for carrying mails, pursuant to contract or
continuing arrangement, by the Central Government or Her Majesty’s Government or the
Government of any British possession or foreign country;
(e) the expression “officer of the Post Office” includes any person employed in any business of
the Post office or on behalf of the Post Office;
(f) the expression “postage” means the duty chargeable for the transmission by post of postal
articles;
(g) the expression “postage stamp” means any stamp provided by the Central Government for
denoting postage or other fees or sums payable in respect of postal articles under this Act, and
includes adhesive postage stamps and stamps printed, embossed, impressed or otherwise indicated on
any envelope, wrapper, postcard or other article;
(h) the expression “Post Office” includes every house, building, room, carriage or place used for
the purposes of the Post Office, and every letter-box provided by the Post Office for the reception of
postal articles;
(i) the expression “postal article” includes a letter, postcard, newspaper, book, pattern or sample
packet, parcel and every article or thing transmissible by post;
(j) the expression “Post Master General” includes a Deputy Post Master General or other officer
exercising the powers of a Post Master General; and
(k) the expression “Post Office” means the department, 1
[established for the purposes of carrying
the provisions of this Act into effect and] presided over by the Director General.
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3. Meanings of “in course of transmission by post” and “delivery”.—For the purposes of this
Act—
(a) a postal article shall be deemed to be in course of transmission by the post from the time of its
being delivered to a post office to the time of its being delivered to the addressee or of its being
returned 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 to
receive 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 his
servant or agent or other person considered to be authorised to receive the article according to the
usual manner of delivering postal articles to the addressee, shall be deemed to be delivery to the
addressee.