1944: East Pb. Act VII] REFUGEES (REGISTRATION 159 o OF CLAIMS) EAST PUNJAB REFUGEES (REGISTRATION OF CLAIMS) ACT,(I948.
TABLE QF CONTENTS Sections.
1. Short title and extent.
2. Interpretation.
3. Appointment of Registrar and other officers.
4. Registration of Refugee Claims.
5. Powers.
6. Records under this Act to be public documents.
7. Act not to be questioned.
8. Offences.
; 9. Procedure
10. Jurisdiction.
11. Limitation.
12. Power to make rules.
13. Repeal.
1948: East Pb. Act VITL] ReruGeEs (ReGisTRATION 1 61 OF CLAIMS) 'EAST PUNJAB REFUGEES (REGISTRATI CLAIMS) ACT, 145, O OF East Punjab Act No. VIII of 1948, [Received the assent of His Excellency the Governor on the 1st April, 1948, and was first published in the East Punjf&?fvermmm Gazette (Extraordinary) of April 3, 1 z 3 y Year | No. Short title Whether repealed or otherwise affected by legislation 1948 vor East Punjab Refugees | Amended in part by the Adaptation (Registration of of Laws Order, 1950.
Claims) Act, 1948 Amended in part by the Aadptation Ltz_nivgs(‘l‘hird Amendment) Order o 1.
Amendcd by Punjab Act 25 of 1964.* Amended by the Punjab Reorganisation (Chandigarh) (Adaptation of Laws on State and Concurrent Subjects) Order, 1968.
1. () This Act may be called the East Punjab Re- short title and fugees (Registration of Claims) Act, 1948. extent.
(2) Tt extends to the whole of 3[Union territory of Chandigarh]. i
2. In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant i jaterpretation.
the subject or context,— “claim” means a statement of loss or damage @ s(l;lffered by a refugee since the first day of March, 1947, in respect of property within the territory now comprised in * ¥kax ¥ Pakistan;
(b) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules under this Act;
Gazette j d Reasons, see East Punjab Government te (Exrra;f.?;rnifi.tfmfgfis";fi:’fg? ;a?or proceedings in Assembly, see East Punjab Legis lative Assembly Debates, Volume II, 1948, pages 681—83.
“For Statemsnt of Objests and Reasons, sec Punjab Government Gazette s - —37.
(Extraordinary), 1964, pages 935 . L .
3Substituted for the word “Punjab” by ‘geb?i'gz)‘bg[%‘frg%‘é;f'on (Chandigark) (Adaptation of Laws on State and Concurrent SUSJ> » “The words “the Dominion of” omitted by the Adaptation of Laws (Third Amendment) Order, 1951.
L e Appointment Registrar and other Officers.
162 REFUGEES (REGISTRATION [1948: East Pb. Act Vi OF CLAINS) (¢) “property” includes any right or .intereSt in moveable or immoveable property, inany shop or business establishment or any factory o workshop or undertaking or in any debt o actionable claim other than a mere right to Sue;
(d) “refugee” means a person demiciled or ordinarily resident in, or owing _ broperty in, or who carried on business within, the territories now comprised in* ¥ *1 * ¥ * Pakistan and who has, since the first day of March, 1947, left or been made to leave his place of residence or has abandoned or been made to abandon his property or business in the said territories on account of civil disturbances or the fear of such disturbances or the partition of the country:
and
(e) “Registrar” means the Officer appointed by the Government for the purpose of registering claims of refugees, and includes a Deputy Registrar of Refugee Claims, and an Assistant Registrar of Refugee Claims.
3. The ?[Central Government] may, for the collection of information relating to the claims of refugees, appoint a Registrar of Refugee Claims for the *[State] and, ejther by name or designation, one or more Deputy Registrars of Refugee Claims and Assistant Registrars of Refugee Claims for such local areag as may be specified and may specify the authority to which they may be subject. _ L Ame;‘l"jt::emc;rgsn;;lrl‘:ellgsafiinion of” omitted by the Adaptation of Laws (Third *Substituted for the words ‘‘State Government*’ tion (Chandigarh) (Adaptation of Laws on State an, 1968.
3Substituted for the worg ‘‘Province” by the Adaptation of Laws Order, 1950.
by the Punjab Reorganisad Concurrent Subject Order s | REFUGEES (REGISTRATION [1948: I OF CLAIMS) [ ast Pb. Act VIII 163
4. (I) A refugee may submit to the Regi . t prescribed form and supported by an affidasigtlsal;?; Slr,llitc};?
tmrrtl fq; t}}e {elglztr3t1<1))nkof his claim in respect of his pro perty m ° akistan, lost or ¢ rhel or of which he has been deprivesd:Or abandoned by him I"rovided that a refugee who has previousl i a claim uqder this Acfi or under the E%st Punjgbslgzglgtgzg (Registration of Claims) Ordinance No. V of 1948 to any other authority in * * * 1% * * Indja competent to register such claim shall not submit his claim to the Registrar unless he withdraws such previous claim.
. () The Registrar shall register the claim and maintain such records thereof as may be prescribed :
Provided that the registration of a claim shall not confer on a relugee any right to demand compensation or relief from the Government nor shall any liability devolve cl)n the Government to compensate him in respect of such o0ss.
Registration of refugee Claims.
5. The Registrar shall have all the powers of a Civil powers.
Court for the purposes of receiving evidence, attesting affidavits, administering oaths, enforcing attendance of witnesses and compelling the discovery and production of documents, and shall be deemed to be a Court within the meaning of sections 480 and 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Act V of 1898.
6. All records prepared or registers maintained under Records under this this Act or the rules made thereunder shall be deemed to be public documents within the meaning of the Indian Evidence Act (I of 1872) and shall be presumed to be true until the contrary is proved.
Act to be public documents.
7. No suit or prosecution or other legal proceedings Act not to be shall lie against the ?[Central Government] or the Registrar or any person acting under his directions in respect of anyE thing done or purporting to have been done in pursuance o the provisions of this Act.
questioned.
8. Whoever intentionally makes to the Registrar 2 Offences.
false statement in respect of his claims, shall be deemed to have confmitted an ofli)'ence under this Act and shall be liable +d by the Adaptation of Laws (Third 1The words *“The Dominicn of”” cmitt Amendment) Order, 1951. oo > ” iab Reorganisation 2Substits for the words “State Government by the Punjal 68 ‘Ch“"fli:m‘h) ‘E:ga;tralio% of Laws on State and Concurrent Subjects) Order, 19 N 164 REFUGEES (REGISTRATION [1948 : East Ph. A Viq OF CLAIMS) to rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend tq two years or with fine or with both.
Procedure. 9. No prosccution for any offence punishable under this Act shall be instituted cxcept on a complaint in Writing made by the Registrdr with the previous sanction of the "[Central Government].
Jurisdiction, 10. All offences under this_ Act sahll be triable by a *[Judicial Magistratc] of the First Class in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (V of 1898).
Limitation, 11. () The ![Central Govermnent] may, by notifi- cation in the officia] Gazette, fix a date being not less than thirty days from the date of the notification as the last date by which applicationg under section 4 shall be received by the Registrar.
(2) The [Centa] Government] may extend this date from time to time, Power to make . 12. (I) The 1[Central Government] ma tion make such 3ryleg 4s appear to it to expedient for putting into effect the provisi ¥ by notificabe necessary or ons of this Act, (2) Without prejudice to t conferred by sub-section (D), th Act urposes of this presgfia?:nforms of applicationg and the mode of thejr
(d) the forms and the manner ip which the registers and other records shall be Maintained ;
3Substituted for the words . Egs (Chandigarh) (Adpatation of Laws on State anq Coneurféé?"s};%‘}éiz) %fiu. Igzgm 8istrate’ by Punjap Act XXV of 1964. i (A) J48-Reh-6402, dated 19th May 1948, pp, 417—423. 'Jab Government Gazette (Extraordinary), dated 241h May 1948 : East Pb. Act VIII] REFUGEES (REGISTRATION 165 OF CLAIMS)
(e) the distribution or allocation of the work to be erformed by the Registrar, the Deputy Regi I?Assistant Registrars, ;and S SRS Aud the
(f) the supply of copies of the record: intai under this Act and the fees leviable therefor, maintained
13. The East Punjab Refugess (Registration of Repeal.
Claims) Ordinance No. V of 1948 is hereby repealed, and any rules made or notifications issued, anything done, any action taken in exercise of any powers conferred by or under the said Ordinance, shall be deemed to have been made, issued, done or taken in exercise of the powers conferred by or under this Act as if this Act had come into force on the 27th day of January, 1948.