The Oudh Taluqdar's Relief Act, 1870
# THE OUDH TALUQDARS’ RELIEF ACT, 1870

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ARRANGEMENT SECTIONS

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SECTIONS.


I. — PRELIMINARY.


1. Short title.
2. Interpretation-clause.


II. — VESTING ORDER.


3. Power to vest management of taluqdár's property in an officer appointed by Chief

Commissioner.


4. Effect of order.


III. — DUTIES OF MANAGER.


5. Manager to receive rents and profits.


IV. — SETTLEMENT OF DEBTS.


6. Notice to claimants against taluqdár.
7. Claim to contain full particulars.
8. Debt or liability not duty notified, to be barred.
9. Determination of debts and liabilities.
10. Appeal.
11. Scheme for settlement of debts and liabilities.
12. Restoration of taluqdár to his property.


V. — POWERS OF MANAGER.


13. Power to call for further particulars.
14. Power to summon witnesses and compel production of documents.
15. Power to administer oaths.
16. Investigation to be deemed a judicial proceeding.
17. Manager to have powers of a taluqdar.
18. Power to lease.
19. Power to raise money by mortgage or sale.


VI. — MISCELLANEOUS.


20. Power to make rules.
21. Power to appoint new Managers.
22. Managers to be public servants.
23. Bar of suits.
24. Petitions, &c., under Act exempt from Court fees.
25. Saving of jurisdiction of Courts in Oudh in respect of certain suits.

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# THE OUDH TALUQDARS’ RELIEF ACT, 1870

 ACT NO. 24 OF 1870



[7[th] September, 1870.]


# PASSED BY THE GOVERNOR GENERAL OF INDIA IN COUNCIL.


(Received the assent of the Governor General on the 7[th] September 1870.)


# An Act to relieve from incumbrances the estates of Taluqdárs in Oudh.


**PREAMBLE.—** WHEREAS many of the taluqdárs of Oudh are in debt, and their immoveable

property is subject to mortgages, charges and liens; and whereas it is expedient to provide for their
relief in manner hereinafter appearing; It is hereby enacted as follows:—


# I.— PRELIMINARY.


**1. Short title.— This Act may be called “The Oudh Taluqdárs' Relief Act. ”**


**2. Interpretation-clause.— In this Act—**


‘Chief Commissioner’ means the Chief Commissioner of Oudh:


‘taluqdár’ means a person whose name is entered in the first of the lists mentioned in the Oudh

Estates’ Act, 1869, section eight:


‘heir’ means the person for the time being entitled under the same Act as heir to a taluqdár.


# II.—VESTING ORDER.


**3. Power to vest management of taluqdár's property in an officer appointed by Chief**

**Commissioner.—Whenever, within twelve months after the passing of this Act, any taluqdár,**

or (when such taluqdár is an infant, or of unsound mind, or an idiot) his guardian, committee, or

other legal curator,


or the person who would be heir to such taluqdár if he died intestate,


or (when such person is an infant, or of unsound mind, or an idiot) his guardian, committee, or

other legal curator,

applies in writing to the Chief Commissioner, stating that the taluqdár is subject to, or that his

immoveable property is charged with, debts of liabilities other than debts due, or liabilities incurred,
to Government, and requesting that the provisions of this Act be applied to his case,

the Chief Commissioner may, with the previous consent of the Governor General of India in

Council by order published in the local official Gazette, appoint an officer (hereinafter called the
Manager), and vest in him the management of the immoveable property of or to which the taluqdár is
then possessed or entitled in his own right, or which he is entitled to redeem, or which may be
acquired by or devolve on the taluqdár or his heir during the continuance of such management.


**4. Effect of order.— On such publication, the following consequences shall ensue:—**


**Bar of suits against taluqdár.— first, all proceedings in respect to such debts of liabilities which**

may then be pending in any Civil Court in British India, shall be barred; and all processes, executions
and attachments for or in respect of such debts and liabilities shall become null and void ;

**Taluqdár freed from arrest.— secondly, so long as such management continues, the taluqdár and**

his heir shall not be liable to arrest for or in respect of the debts and liabilities to which the taluqdár
was immediately before the said publication subject, or with which his immoveable property or any
part thereof was then charged, other than debts due, or liabilities incurred, to Government ;

**and his moveable property from attachment for prior debts.— nor shall their moveable**

property be liable to attachment or sale, under process of any Civil Court in British India, for or in
respect of such debts and liabilities other than as aforesaid; and


**Cessation of his power to alienate.— thirdly, so long as such management continues,**


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(a) the taluqdár and his heir shall be incompetent to mortgage, charge, lease or alienate their

immoveable property or any part thereof, or to grant valid receipts for the rents and profits arising or
accruing therefrom,

**Immoveable property freed from attachment.— and (b) such property shall be exempt from**

attachment or sale under such process as aforesaid, except for or in respect of debts due, or liabilities
incurred, to Government.


# III.—DUTIES OF MANAGER.


**5. Manager to receive rents and profits,—The Manager shall, during his management of the**

said property, receive and recover all rents and profits due in respect thereof; and shall, upon
receiving such rents and profits, give receipts for the same.


From the sums so received, he shall pay—


**and pay therefrom the Government demand,— first, the Government revenue, and all debts or**

liabilities for the time being due or incurred to Government in respect of the said property:

**an annual sum for maintenance of the taluqdár and his heir,— secondly, such annual sum as**

appears to the Chief Commissioner requisite for the maintenance of the taluqdár, his heir and their
families:

**costs of repairs and improvements,— thirdly, the costs of such repairs and improvements of the**

property as appear necessary to the Manager and are approved by the Chief Commissioner:

**costs of management, and the debts and liabilities.— and the residue shall be applied in**

discharge of the costs of the management, and in settlement of such debts and liabilities of the
taluqdár and his heir and their immoveable property, as may be established under the provisions
hereinafter contained.


# IV.—SETTLEMENT OF DEBTS.


**6. Notice to claimants against taluqdár.— On the publication of the order vesting in him the**

management of the said property, the Manager shall publish in the local official Gazette a notice in
English and Urdú, calling upon all persons having claims against the taluqdár or his immoveable
property to notify the same in writing to such Manager within three months from the date of the
publication.

**Copies of notice to be exhibited.—He shall also cause copies of such notice to be exhibited at**

the Tahsildárs’ Kachahrís in the District or Districts in which the said property lies and at such other
places as the Manager thinks fit.

**7. Claim to contain full particulars.—Every such claimant shall, along with his claim, present**

full particulars thereof.

**Documents to be given up.—Every document on which the claimant founds his claim, or on**

which he relies in support thereof, shall be delivered to the Manager along with the claim.

**Entries in books.—If the document be an entry in any book, the claimant shall produce the book**

to the Manager, together with a copy of the entry on which he relies. The Manager shall mark the
book for the purpose of identification, and, after examining and comparing the copy with the original,
shall return the book to the claimant.

**Exclusion of documents not produced.— If any document in the possession or under the control**

of the claimant is not delivered or produced by him to the Manager along with the claim, the Manager
may refuse to receive such document in evidence on the claimant's behalf at the investigation of the
case.

**8. Debt or liability not duty notified, to be barred.—Every debt or liability (other than debts**

due, or liabilities incurred, to Government) to which the taluqdár is subject, or with which his
immoveable property or any part thereof is charged, and which is not duty notified to the Manager
within the time and in hereinbefore mentioned, shall be barred:

**Provision for admission of claim within further period of nine months.—Provided that, when**

proof is made to the Manager that the claimant was unable to comply with the provisions of sections

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six and seven, the Manager may admit such claim within the further period of nine months from the
expiration of the said period of three months.

**9. Determination of debts and liabilities.—The Manager shall, in accordance with the rules to**

be made under this Act, determine the amount of the debts and liabilities due to the several creditors
of the taluqdár and persons holding mortgages, charges or liens on the said property or any part
thereof.

**10. Appeal.—An appeal against any refusal, admission or determination under sections seven,**

eight or nine shall lie, if preferred within six weeks from the date of such determination, to the
Commissioner of Division to whom the Manager is subordinate, and the decision of such
Commissioner, or of the Manager if no such appeal has been so preferred, shall be final.

**11. Scheme for settlement of debts and liabilities.—When the total amount of such debts and**

liabilities has been finally determined, the Manager shall prepare and submit to the Chief
Commissioner a schedule of such debts and liabilities, and a scheme for the settlement thereof; and
such scheme, when approved by the Chief Commissioner, shall be carried into effect.

**Power to return scheme for revision.—Until such approval is given, the Chief Commissioner**

may, as often as he thinks fit, send back such scheme to the Manager for revision, and direct him to
make such further enquiry as may be requisite for the proper preparation of the scheme.

**[12. Restoration of taluqdár to his property.—When all such debts and liabilities have been](https://www.scconline.com/Members/NoteView.aspx?enc=SlRYVC05MDAwMjU2MzQ2JiYmJiY0MCYmJiYmQnJvd3NlJiYmJiZmdWxsc2NyZWVu#BS0012)**

discharged,

or if, within six months after the publication of the order mentioned in section three, the Chief

Commissioner thinks that the provisions of this Act should not continue to apply to the case of the
taluqdár or his heir,

the taluqdár or his heir shall be restored to the possession and enjoyment of his immoveable

property, or of such part thereof as has not been sold by the Manager under the power contained in
section nineteen, but subject to the leases and mortgages (if any) granted and made by the Manager
under the powers hereinafter contained.

**Revival of barred proceedings and debts.—Where the taluqdár or his heir is so restored under**

the circumstances mentioned in the second clause of this section, the proceedings, processes,
executions and attachments mentioned in section three (so far as they relate to debts and liabilities not
settled by the Manager), and the debts and liabilities barred by section eight, shall be revived, and any
mortgagee dispossessed under section seventeen shall be reinstated unless his claim under the
mortgage has been satisfied;

and in calculating the periods of limitation applicable to such revived proceedings and to suits to

recover and enforce such revived debts and liabilities, the time intervening between such restoration
and the publication of the order mentioned in section three shall be excluded.


# V.—POWERS OF MANAGER.


**13. Power to call for further particulars.—The Manager may, from time to time, call for further**

and more detailed particulars of any claim preferred before, him under this Act, and may at his
discretion refuse to proceed with the investigation of the claim until such particulars are supplied.

**14. Power to summon witnesses and compel production of documents.— For the purposes of**

this Act, the Manager may summon and enforce the attendance of witnesses and compel them to give
evidence, and compel the production of documents by the same means, and, as far as possible, in the
same manner, as is provided in the case of a Civil Court by the Code of Civil Procedure.

**15. Power to administer oaths.— The Manager may administer an oath in such form as he**

thinks fit to any person examined before him touching the matters to be enquired into under this Act.

**16. Investigation to be deemed a judicial proceeding.— Every investigation conducted by the**

Manager with reference to any claim preferred before him under this Act, or to any matter connected
with any such claim, shall be taken to be a judicial proceeding within the meaning of the Indian Penal
Code.

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**Statements of persons examined, to be evidence.—And every statement made by any person**

examined by or before the Manager with reference to such investigation, whether upon oath or
otherwise, shall be taken to be evidence within the meaning of the same Code (45 of 1860).

**17. Manager to have powers of a taluqdar.—The Manager shall have, for the purpose of**

realizing and recovering the rents and profits of the said immoveable property, the same powers as the
taluqdár would have had for such purpose if this Act had not been passed.

**Power to remove mortgagee in possession.—And if such property, or any part thereof, be in the**

possession of any mortgagee, the Manager may apply to the Court of the Deputy Commissioner
within whose jurisdiction the property is situate, and such Court shall cause the same to be delivered
to the Manager as if a decree therefor had been made in his favour; but without prejudice to the
mortgagee preferring his claim under the provisions hereinbefore contained.

**18. Power to lease.—Subject to the rules made under section twenty, the Manager shall have**

power to demise all or any part of the said property, for any term of years not exceeding twenty years
absolute, to take effect in possession, in consdieration of any fine or fines, or without fine, and
reserving such rents and under such conditions as may be agreed upon.

**19. Power to raise money by mortgage or sale.—The Manager, with the previous assent of the**

Chief Commissioner, shall have power to raise any money which may be required for the settlement
of the debts and liabilities (other than as aforesaid) to which the taluqdár is subject, or with which his
immoveable property or any part thereof is charged,

by demising by way of mortgage the whole or any part of such property for a term not exceeding

twenty years from the said publication,

or by selling, with the previous consent of the taluqdár and of the person (being of full age) who

would be his heir if he died intestate, by public auction or by private contract, and upon such terms as
the Manager thinks fit, such portion of the same property as may appear expedient.

And no mortgagee advancing money upon any mortgage made under this section, shall be bound

to see that such money is wanted or that no more than is wanted is raised.

**Manager's receipts.—And the receipt of the Manager for any monies paid to him upon any**

mortgage or sale made under this section, or for any rents or profits received by him under section
five, shall discharge the person paying the same therefrom and from being concerned to see to the
application thereof.

The power to mortgage conferred by this section shall not be exercisable until six months have

elapsed from the publication of the order mentioned in section three.


# VI.—MISCELLANEOUS.


**20. Power to make rules.—The Chief Commissioner may, from time to time, make rules**

consistent with this Act in all matters connected with its enforcement.

Such rules, when approved by the Governor General of India in Council, and published in the

local official Gazette, shall have the force of law.

**21. Power to appoint new Managers.—Whenever the Chief Commissioner thinks fit, he may**

appoint any officer to be a Manager in the stead of any Manager appointed under this Act; and
thereupon the management then vested under this Act in the former Manager shall become vested in
the new Manager.


Every such new Manager shall have the same powers as if he had been originally appointed.


**22. Managers to be public servants.— Every Manager appointed under this Act shall be deemed**

a public servant within the meaning of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

**23. Bar of suits.— No suit or other proceeding shall be maintained against any person in respect**

of anything done by him bonâ fide pursuant to this Act.

**24. Petitions, &c., under Act exempt from Court fees.—No petition, application, memorandum**

of appeal or other proceeding under this Act, shall be chargeable under the Court Fees Act, 1870
(7 of 1870).

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**25. Saving of jurisdiction of Courts in Oudh in respect of certain suits.— Nothing in this Act**

precludes the Courts of the Province of Oudh, having jurisdiction in suits relating to the succession to
or rights of persons claiming maintenance from any immoveable property brought under the operation
of this Act, from entertaining and disposing of such suits; but to all such suits the Manager of such
property shall be made a party.


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