Full Judgement
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THE REVENUE RECOVERY ACT, 1890
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ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
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SECTIONS
1. Title and extent.
2. Definitions.
3. Recovery of public demands by enforcement of processes in other districts than those in which
they become payable.
4. Remedy available to person denying liability to pay amount recovered under last foregoing section.
5. Recovery by Collectors of sums recoverable as arrears of revenue by other public officers or by
local authorities.
6. Property liable to sale under this Act.
7. Saving of local laws relating to revenue.
8. Recovery in India of certain public demands arising beyond India.
9. Recovery in India of land revenues’ etc., accruing in Burma.
10. Duty of Collectors to remit moneys collected in certain cases.
THE SCHEDULE.
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THE REVENUE RECOVERY ACT, 1890
ACT NO. 1 OF 1890
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[14th February, 1890.]
An Act to make better provision for recovering certain public demands.
WHEREAS it is expedient to make better provision for recovering certain public demands; It is hereby
enacted as follows:—
1. Title and extent.—(1) This Act may be called the Revenue Recovery Act, 1890.
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[(2) It extends to the whole of India except
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[*the State of Jammu and Kashmir];]
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***
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* * * * *
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless there is something repugnant in the subject or context,—
(1) “district” includes a presidency-town;
(2) “Collector” means the chief officer in charge of the land-revenue administration of a district;
and
(3) “defaulter” means a person from whom an arrear of land-revenue, or a sum recoverable as an
arrear of land-revenue, is due, and includes a person who is responsible as surety for the payment of
any such arrear or sum.
3. Recovery of public demands by enforcement of processes in other districts than those in
which they become payable.—(1) Where an arrear of land-revenue, or a sum recoverable as an arrear of
land-revenue, is payable to a Collector by a defaulter being or having property in a district other than that
in which the arrear accrued or the sum is payable, the Collector may send to the Collector of that other
district a certificate in the form as nearly as may be of the Schedule, stating—
(a) the name of the defaulter and such other particulars as may be necessary for his identification,
and
(b) the amount payable by him and the account on which it is due.
(2) The certificate shall be signed by the Collector making it
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[or by any officer to whom such
Collector may, by order in writing, delegate this duty], and, save as otherwise provided by this Act, shall
be conclusive proof of the matters therein stated.
(3) The Collector of the other district shall, on receiving the certificate, proceed to recover the
amount stated therein as if it were an arrear of land-revenue which had accrued in his own district.
1. This Act has been modified in its application to the Benares Family Domains, see s.15 of the Benares Family Domains
Act, 1904 (U.P. Act 3 of 1904).
The Act has been extended to Goa, Daman and Diu with modifications by Reg. 12 of 1962, s. 3 and the Schedule, extended
to and brought into force in Dadra and Nagar Haveli by Reg. 6 of 1963, s. 2 and the First Schedule (w.e.f. 1-7-1965), to the
Union territory of Lakshadweep by Reg. 8 of 1965, s. 3 and the Schedule (w.e.f. 1-10-1967) and to the Union territory of
Pondicherry by Act 26 of 1968, s. 3 and the Schedule.
The Act has been amended in Assam by the Assam Act 16 of 1971.
2. Subs. by the India (Adaptation of Income-tax, Profits Tax and Revenue Recovery Acts) Order, 1947 (G.G.O. 31, dated the
10th December, 1947) (Gazette of India, 1947, Extraordinary, p. 1333), for sub-section (2).
3. Subs. by Act 33 of 1950, s. 2 and the Schedule, for “Part B States”.
4. The word “and” rep. by Act 10 of 1914, s. 3 and the Second Schedule.
5. Sub-section (3) rep. by s. 3 and the Second Schedule, ibid.
6. Ins. by Act 4 of 1914, s. 2 and the Schedule, Part I.
*. Now applicable to the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union territory of Ladakh by the Notification of
Government of India, M/o Home Affairs vide No. S.O. 3912 (E), dated 30th October, 2019 (w.e.f. 31-10-2019).
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STATE AMENDMENTS
Assam
Insertion of new section.—After Section 3 of the principal Act, the following shall be inserted as
section 3A, namely:—
“3A.—Certificate Officers to perform the functions of Collector in respect of certificates
received.
—Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Act, when any certificate is
received under this Act, by the Collector of a District, any certificate officer in the district may exercise
all the powers and perform all the duties and functions of such Collector under this Act, in respect of such
certificate.
Explanation—In this section ‘Certificate Officer’ has the same meaning as in the Bengal Public
Demands Recovery Act, 1913 (Bengal Act III of 1913).”
[Vide Assam Act 16 of 1971, s. 2.]
4. Remedy available to person denying liability to pay amount recovered under last foregoing
section.—(1) When proceedings are taken against a person under the last foregoing section for the
recovery of an amount stated in a certificate, that person may, if he denies his liability to pay the amount
or any part thereof and pays the same under protest made in writing at the time of payment and signed by
him or his agent, institute a suit for the repayment of the amount or the part thereof so paid.
(2) A suit under sub-section (1) must be instituted in a Civil Court having jurisdiction in the local area
in which the office of the Collector who made the certificate is situate, and the suit shall be determined in
accordance with the law in force at the place where the arrear accrued or the liability for the payment of
the sum arose.
(3) In the suit the plaintiff may, notwithstanding anything in the last foregoing section, but subject to
the law in force at the place aforesaid, give evidence with respect to any matter stated in the certificate.
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[(4) This section shall apply if under this Act as in force as part of the law of
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[Pakistan or] Burma,
or under any other similar Act forming part of the law of
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[Pakistan or] Burma, proceedings are taken
against a person in
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[Pakistan or Burma, as the case may be,] for the recovery of an amount stated in a
certificate made by a Collector in
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[any State to which this Act extends].]
5. Recovery by Collectors of sums recoverable as arrears of revenue by other public officers or
by local authorities.—Where any sum is recoverable as an arrear ,of land-Revenue of any public officer
other than a Collector or by local authority, the Collector of the district in which the office of that officer
or authority is situate shall, on the request of the officer or authority, proceed to recover the sum as if it
were an arrear of land-revenue which had accrued in his own district, and may send a certificate of the
amount to be recovered to the Collector of another district under the foregoing provisions of this Act, as if
the sum were payable to himself.
6. Property liable to sale under this Act.—(1) When the Collector of a district receives a certificate
under this Act, he may issue a proclamation prohibiting the transfer or charging of any immovable
property belonging to the defaulter in the district.
(2) The Collector may at any time, by order in writing, withdraw the proclamation, and it shall be
deemed to be withdrawn when either the amount stated in the certificate has been recovered or the
property has been sold for the recovery of that amount.
(3) Any private alienation of the property or of any interest of the defaulter therein, whether by sale,
gift, mortgage or otherwise, made after the issue of the proclamation and before the withdrawal thereof,
1. Ins. by the A.O.1937.
2. Ins. by the India (Adaptation of Income-tax, Profits Tax and Revenue Recovery Acts) Order, 1941 (G.G.O. 31, dated the 10th
December, 1947), (Gazette of India, 1947, Extraordinary, p. 1333).
3. Subs., ibid., for “Burma”.
4. Subs. by Act 33 of 1950, s. 2 and the Schedule for “a Part A State or a Part C State”.
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shall be void as
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[against the
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[Government]] and any person who may purchase the property at a sale
held for the recovery of the amount stated in the certificate.
(4) Subject to the foregoing provisions of this section, when proceedings are taken against any
immovable property under this Act for the recovery of an amount stated in a certificate, the interest of the
defaulter alone therein shall be so proceeded against, and no incumbrances created, grants made or
contracts entered into by him in
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good faith shall be rendered invalid by reason only of proceedings being
taken against those interests.
(5) A proclamation under this section shall be made by beat of drum or other customary method and
by the posting of a copy thereof on a conspicuous place in or near the property to which it relates.
7. Saving of local laws relating to revenue.—Nothing in the foregoing sections shall be construed—
(a) to impair any security provided by, or affect the provisions of, any other enactment for the
time being in force for the recovery of land-revenue or of sums recoverable as arrears of land-
revenue, or
(b) to authorise the arrest of any person for the recovery of any tax payable to the corporation,
commissioner, committee, board, council or person having authority over a municipality under any
enactment for the time being in force.
8. Recovery in India of certain public demands arising beyond India.—When this Act has been
applied to any local area which is under the administration of
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[the Central Government
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***] but which
is not part of
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[
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*** India], an arrear of land-revenue accruing in that local area, or a sum recoverable as
an arrear of land-revenue and payable to a Collector or other public officer or to a local authority in that
local area, may be recovered under this Act in
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[
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*** India].
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[9. Recovery in India of land revenues, etc., accruing in Burma.—(1) The Central Government
may direct
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that an arrear of land-revenue accruing in Burma or a sum recoverable in Burma as an arrear
of land-revenue and payable to a Collector or other public officer or to a local authority in Burma may be
recovered under this Act in
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*** India and thereupon such arrear or sum shall be so recoverable:
Provided that the Central Government shall not give any such direction unless it is satisfied that the
remedy available under section 4 of this Act in
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*** India to a person paying under protest in
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*** India
an arrear accruing in
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*** India is available under Burma law in Burma to a person paying under protest
in
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*** India an arrear accruing in Burma.
(2) For recovering by virtue of this section any arrears of tax, penalty due under the enactments
relating to income-tax or super-tax in force in Burma, the Collector shall have such additional powers as
he has in the case of Indian income-tax and super-tax under the proviso to section 46(2) of the Income-tax
Act, 1922 (11 of 1922).
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[(3) Sub-sections (1) and (2) shall apply in relation to Pakistan as they apply in relation to Burma.]
10. Duty of Collectors to remit moneys collected in certain cases.—Where a Collector receives a
certificate under this Act from, a Collector of another State or a Collector in
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[Pakistan or] Burma, he
shall remit any sum recovered by him by virtue of that certificate to that Collector, after deducting his
expenses in connection with the matter.]
1. Subs. by the A O.1937, for “against the Government”.
2. Subs. by the A.O. 1948, for “Crown”.
3. See definition in the General Clauses Act, 1897 (10 of 1897), s. 22.
4. Subs. by the A.O. 1937, for “the G. G. in C.”.
5. The words “or the Crown Representative” omitted by the India (Adaptation of Income-tax, Profits Tax and Revenue Recovery
Acts) Order, 1947 (G. G. O. 31, dated the 10th December, 1947) (Gazette of India, 1947, Extraordinary, p. 1333).
6. Subs., ibid., for “British India”.
7. The words “the Provinces of” omitted by the A.O.1950.
8. Ins. by the A. O. 1937.
9. For a direction under this section, see Gazette of India, 1937, Pt. I, p. 1941.
10. The word “British” omitted by the India (Adaptation of Income-tax, Profits Tax and Revenue Recovery Acts) Order, 1947
(G.G.O.31, dated the 10th December, 1947) (Gazette of India, 1947, Extraordinary, p. 1333).
11. Ins., ibid.
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THE SCHEDULE
CERTIFICATE
[See section 3, sub-section (1)]
From
The Collector of
To
The Collector of
Dated the of 18
The sum of Rs. is payable on account of by, son of, resident of, who is believed (to be at) (to have
property consisting of at) in your district.
Subject to the provisions of the Revenue Recovery Act, 1890, the said sum is recoverable by you as if
it were an arrear of land-revenue which had accrued in your own district, and you are hereby desired so to
recover it and to remit it to my office at
A.B.,
Collector of
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