(1) This Act may be called the Puducherry Cultivating Tenants (Payment of Fair Rent) Act, 1970.
(2) It extends to the whole of the regions known as Puducherry, Karaikal and Yanam in the Union territory of Puducherry.
(3) It shall come into force on such as the Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint:
Provided that different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act or for different areas and any reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed, in relation to any area, as a reference to the coming into force of that provision in such area.
Definitions
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,---
(a) “agricultural year” means the year commencing on the 1st day of April, or such other date as the Collector may specify in that behalf by notification in the Official Gazette;
(b) “average gross produce” means the average produce for different classes of land in each zone as may be notified by the Government from time to time.
1. The Act came into force on the 1st day of April, 1971 vide Notification No.6896/70-E, dated 22nd March, 1971.
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Explanation. — For the purpose of this clause each region shall be divided into zones and the lands comprised in each zone divided into categories consisting of double crop lands, single crop lands, irrigated lands and dry lands;
(c) “cultivating tenant” means a person who contributes his own physical labour or that of any member of his family in the cultivation of any land belonging to another, under a tenancy agreement, express or implied, on condition of paying rent therefor in cash or in kind or delivering or receiving a share of the produce and includes –
(i) any such person who continues in possession of the land after the determination of the agreement;
(ii) the heir of such person, if the heir contributes his own physical labour or that of any member of his family in the cultivation of such land;
(iii) a sub-tenant if he contributes his own physical labour or that of any member of his family in the cultivation of such land;
(iv) any such sub-tenant who continues in possession of the land notwithstanding that the person who sublet the land to such sub-tenant ceases to have the right to possession of such land; and
(v) a person who cultivates the land on payment of waram; but does not include a mere intermediary or his heir;
(d) “fair rent” means the rent payable under this Act;
(e) “garden land” means dry land irrigated by lifting water from wells or other sources;
(f) “Government” means the Administrator appointed by the President under article 239 of the Constitution;
(g) “landowner” means the owner of the land let for cultivation by a cultivating tenant and includes the heirs, assignees, legal representatives of such owner, or person deriving rights through him;
(h) “paid” includes “delivered”;
(i) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
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(j) “Rent Court” and “Rent Tribunal” in relation to any area mean the Rent Court and Rent Tribunal respectively constituted under this Act for such area.
1[Act not to apply in certain cases
2A. Nothing in this Act shall apply, to ---
(i) leases or tenancies of lands belonging to or vested in the Government of the Union territory of Puducherry, the Central Government, a State Government, a local authority, or a corporation owned or controlled by any of the said governments, or authority; or
(ii) leases or tenancies of lands created by the Administrator General or the Official Trustee or an Official Receiver or Officer appointed by a Court under the provisions of any law, or by any person holding under or deriving title from any of the Officers aforesaid.]
Interpretation
3. If any question arises whether any land is wet, or dry or garden land, the question shall be decided by the Rent Court.
Rights and liabilities of cultivating tenant and landowner