(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-
(i) "appointed date" in relation to any local area means the date on which the remaining provisions of this Act come into force in such local area under sub-section (4) of section 1;
(ii) "authorised holder" means a person in whom vests the ownership of a watan land which has been validly alienated permanently by the watandar whether by sale or gift or otherwise, under the existing watan law ;
(iii) "Code" means in relation to the [Bombay area of the State of Maharashtra], the Bombay Land Revenue Code, 1879 (Bom. V of 1879), and in relation to the Hyderabad area of the State of Bombay, the Hyderabad Land Revenue Act, 1317 F (Hyd. Act. VIII of 1317 F) ;
(iv) "Collector" includes an Officer appointed by the State Government to perform the functions and exercise the powers of the Collector under this Act;
(v) "existing watan law" includes any enactment, ordinance, rule, by-law, regulation, order, notification, Vat-Hukum or any other instrument having the force of law, relating to inferior village watans which may be in force immediately before the appointed date in the local area in which the remaining provisions of this Act come into force under sub-section (4) of section 1;
(vi) "inferior village hereditary office" means every village office of lower degree than that of a revenue or police patel or village accountant held hereditarily under the existing watan law for the performance of duties connected with the administration or collection of the public revenue of a village or with the village police or with the settlement of boundaries or other matters of civil administration of a village and includes such office even where the services originally appertaining to it have ceased to be demanded;
(vii) "inferior village watan" means the inferior village hereditary office together with the tenure of watan property, if any, and the rights, privileges and liabilities attached thereto;
(viii) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(ix) "tenancy law" means-
(a) in the [Bombay area of the State of Maharashtra], the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948 (Bom. LXVII of 1948), and
(b) in the Hyderabad area of the State of Bombay, the Hyderabad Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1950 (Hyd. Act. XXI of 1950);
(x) "unauthorised holder" means a person in possession of a watan land without any right or under a lease, mortgage, sale, gift or any other kind of alienation thereof which is null and void under the existing watan law;
(xi) "watandar" means a person having a hereditary interest in an inferior village watan under the existing watan law:
Provided that where any watan has been entered in a register or record under the existing watan law as held by the whole body of watandars, the whole of such body shall be deemed to be a watandar;
(xii) "watan land" means the land forming part of the watan property;
(xiii) "watan property" means the movable or immovable property held, acquired or assigned under the existing watan law for providing remuneration for the performance of the duty appertaining to an inferior village hereditary office and includes a right under the existing watan law to levy customary fees or perquisites in money or in kind whether at fixed times or otherwise and also includes cash payments in addition to the original watan property made voluntarily by the State Government and subject periodically to modification or withdrawal.
(2) The other words or expressions used but not defined in this Act shall have the meaning assigned to them in the Code.
(3) References in this Act to the incidents of watans shall, notwithstanding the abolition of the watans by this Act, be construed as references to the incidents as they were in force immediately before the appointed date.