REVENUE RECOVERY

ACT, 1890
- Act No. 1 of 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.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
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 [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.

NOTE : Public Demand means any money payable to or any liability (inclusive of interest) which is claimed as due from any person by the
State Government or a Department

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).
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.

(4) This section shall apply if under this Act, as in force as part of the law of [Pakistan or] Burma, or under any other similar
Act forming part of the law of [Pakistan or] Burma, proceedings are taken against a person in [Pakistan or Burma, as the
case may be,] for the recovery of an amount stated in a certificate made by a Collector in [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, shall be void as [against the[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 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 [the Central
Government but which is not part of 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 India].
[9. Recovery in India of land revenues, etc., accruing in Burma.—
(1) The Central Government may direct 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 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 India to a person paying under protest in India an
arrear accruing in India, is available under Burma law in Burma to a person paying under protest in
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).
(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 money collected in certain cases.—Where a Collector receives a
certificate under this Act from, a Collector of another State or a Collector in [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.]