MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS
(Department of Posts)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 16th December, 2024
G.S.R. 767(E).— In exercise of the powers conferred by
section 12 of the Post Office Act, 2023 (43 of 2023), and in suppression of
the Indian Post Office Rules,1933, except as respects things done or omitted
to be done before such suppression, the Central Government hereby makes the
following rules, namely: -
1. Short title and Commencement.- (1) These rules may be called the
Post Office Rules, 2024.
(2) They shall come in to force on the 16th day of December, 2024.
2. Definitions.- (1) In these rules, unless the context otherwise
requires,-
(a) “Act” means “the Post Office Act, 2023” (43 of 2023);
(b) “Board” means the Postal Services Board specified in rule
5;
(c) “Circle Head” means the Chief Postmaster General concerned or an
officer exercising the powers of Chief Postmaster General in the
circle;
(d) “Divisional Head” means Director or Senior Superintendent or
Chief Postmaster or Superintendent of Postal Division or Railway Mail
Service (RMS) Division or Foreign Post, or an officer exercising the powers
of Director or Senior Superintendent or Chief Postmaster or Superintendent
of Postal Division or Railway Mail Service Division or Foreign Post;
(e) “mail offices” means the Post Offices or premises associated with
handling, processing or transmission of items, used by the Department of
Post;.
(f) “mail service” means all activities related to collection,
handling, transmission, delivery, forwarding, returning and holding of
items;
(g) “postage” means the sum chargeable on mail service;
(h) “Regional Director” means the Director concerned or an officer
exercising the powers of Director in the region;
(i) “Regional Head” means the Postmaster General concerned or an
officer exercising the powers of Postmaster General in the region;
(j) “universal postal service” means the provision of such postal
services which are affordable and made available to all users, within and
outside the country; and
(k) “value-added service” means add-on features on mail services.
(2) Words and expressions used herein but defined in the Act shall have the
meanings respectively assigned to them in the Act.
3. Services to be provided by Post Office (Domestic/Foreign).- Every
Post Office may provide the following service for carrying out the purposes of
the Act, namely: -
(a) mail services within or beyond the limits of the country;
(b) value-added service applicable in respect of clause (a);
(c) universal postal service in respect of clause (a);
(d) financial services including banking, Government Savings Bank, payment
system and any other financial services;
(e) money remittances services within or beyond the limits of the country;
(f) insurance services including life insurance or any other
insurance;
(g) citizen-centric services as authorised by the Central Government;
(h) services associated with addressing identifiers and postcodes;
(i) any service offered by State Government or Local Government;
(j) any service offered through collaboration with public or private
entities.
4. Director General to authorize certain Services.- The Director
General is authorised to -
(a) introduce new products, or modify or discontinue any products related to
the services mentioned in these rules; and
(b) enter into a collaboration with public or private entities in respect of
services specified under rule 3.
5. Postal Services Board.- The Postal Services Board shall be the apex
level policy making body, having perpetual succession and a common seal, for
any of the services provided by the Post Office, under rule 3.
6. The Central Government may, by notification in the Official
gazette, specify the composition of the Board; and powers, functions and
duties of the Board.
7. Exclusive privilege in respect of postage stamps.- Subject to the
provisions of rule 8, the Central Government or, as the case may be, the
Director General shall issue definitive, commemorative, special issues of
postage stamps or any other form of postage stamps or related material.
8. Philatelic Advisory Committee. - The Central Government may
constitute a Philatelic Advisory Committee which shall advice that Government
on issues of commemorative and special postage stamps and other allied matters
related thereto.
9. Modes of payment of postage or other charges.- The payment of the
postage or other sums chargeable for mail services under rule 3, shall be made
through any of the following mode and in such manner as may be specified in
the regulations, namely: -
(a) in cash; or
(b) payment through digital mode; or
(c) by postage stamp; or
(d) by means of impressions of franking machines; or
(e) any other mode, as may be specified in the regulations.
10. Modes of payment for other Services. - The modes of payment for
the sum chargeable on any other services mentioned in these rules shall be
such, as may be specified in the regulations.
11. Addresses and postcodes.-
(1) The Director General shall, by regulations, -
(i) specify the standards for addressing on the items;
(ii) manage and allocate addressing identifiers and postcodes.
(2) The Director General shall manage, allocate and publish Postcodes or
Postal Index Number (PIN) codes.
12. Power to give effect to arrangements with other countries. -
(1) The Central Government shall provide the services as mentioned in these
rules in furtherance to international postal co-operation.
(2) The international postal co-operation shall be with other countries or
territories, Universal Postal Union (UPU), or other postal unions, or public
or private entities, and in conformity with the provisions of the UPU
Convention Manual and Regulations, multilateral or bilateral agreements with
the foreign countries, other unions, laws and bye-laws, and the international
laws, as may be applicable, for the time being in force.
(3) The Director General is authorised to issue regulations, for the
purposes of sub-rules (1) and (2).
13. Official mark to be denoted.- The Post Office marks shall be the
proof of certain facts denoted on the item, in respect of, —
(a) the production of the item, having thereon the official mark of
the Post Office denoting that the item has been refused or rejected or
unclaimed, or cannot for any other reason be delivered, or any other remark
so denoted, shall be sufficient proof of the fact indicated, and
(b) every proceeding for the recovery of any postage or other sum alleged to
be due under the Act.
14. Sender of Item.- The person or the address or from whom the item
is purported to have come, shall, be deemed to be the sender thereof.
15. Official mark on items.- Director General may, by regulations,
authorise certain officers or officials to make an official mark on an item
denoting that-
(a) any postage or other sum is due in respect thereof to the Post
Office;
(b) the mark shall be the proof to denote that the said sum as is so due;
and
(c) the item has been refused or rejected or unclaimed, or cannot for any
other reason be delivered.
16. Interception, detention and opening of item(s).-
(1) Subject to the provisions of sub-section(1) of Section 9, no direction
for interception, detention or opening of any item or class of item under
sub-section (1) of section 9 of the Act shall be issued, except by an order
made by a Member of the Board looking after the work of operations in the
Department of Posts or the Circle Head.
(2) In unavoidable circumstances, such order may be made by an officer, not
below the rank of the Regional Head or the Regional Director.
(3) In emergent cases, where obtaining of prior directions for interception,
detention or opening of item is not feasible, the required interception,
detention or opening of item shall be carried out on the directions of the
Divisional Head, who shall inform the concerned competent authority
specified in sub-rule (1) or sub-rule (2) within three working days of such
interceptions, detention or opening and that such order shall be got
confirmed by the concerned competent authority within a period of seven
working days: Provided that if the confirmation from the competent authority
is not received within the stipulated seven days, such interception shall
cease to operate and shall not be recommenced without the prior approval of
the competent authority.
(4) Any order issued by the competent authority under sub-rules (1), (2) and
(3) shall contain reasons to be recorded in writing for such
direction.
(5) In order to oversee the interception done under sub-rules (1), (2) and
(3), the Central Government shall constitute a review committee consisting
of the following, namely: - (a) Director General, Posts- Chairman and (b)
two Members of the Board, other than the Member mentioned in sub-rule (1) –
Members.
(6) The review committee shall meet at least once in three months and review
all directions issued under sub-rules (1), (2) and (3).
(7) The Central Government hereby notifies the following officers as
authorized officers to intercept and detain items on the orders of the
competent authority, namely;- (a) Officer in-charge of Post Office or any
higher officer; or (b) Officer in-charge of the Mail Office or any higher
officer.
(8) No authorized officer shall open any item specified in this rule, except
in the presence of the concerned law enforcement authority.
(9) The authorised officer shall maintain proper records mentioning therein,
category of the item including any tracking number, particulars of sender
and addressee, weight of the item, postage, reason for interception and
detention of the item, date of interception and detention of the item and
the duration for which the directions remain in force.
(10) The authorised officer shall ensure the disposal of the item
intercepted under sub-rules (1), (2) and (3) in the manner as specified in
the Post Office Regulations, 2024.
(11) The directions for interception and detention shall remain in force,
unless revoked earlier, for a period not exceeding thirty days from the date
of issue and may be further extended: Provided that the period may not be
extended beyond ninety days: Provided further that on the expiry of the
period specified in the first proviso, the detained item shall be handed
over to the concerned law enforcement authority.
(12) The interception and detention of an item under sub-rules (1) to (3)
does not exempt the sender from any action which might have been taken, if
the item had been delivered in due course through post.
(13) The provisions of sub-rules (1) to (11) shall apply mutatis mutandis to
the items sent to and received from foreign countries.
17. Duty of authorized officers in delivering items.- The authorized
officers shall be empowered to deliver an item, reckoned to contain anything
liable to duty, or which is suspected to contain any prohibited item, to such
customs authority or any other law enforcement authority as may be specified
in notification issued under sub-section (3) of Section 9 of the Act for
taking necessary action in respect of such item in accordance with the
provisions of any law for the time being in force.
18. Interception in addition to and not in derogation of other laws.-
Nothing contained in rule 16 shall prevent interception of items as required
under any law for the time being in force and shall be governed by any
procedures applicable under such law.
19. Exemption from Liability.- (1) The Central Government shall
provide compensation for loss or damage of an item or its contents or on any
other grounds, if any, as specified in the regulations.
(2) The compensation shall not exceed the amount of the loss or damage, and
shall not be paid on prohibited items, or loss or damage caused by the fault
or negligence of the sender, or arising from force majeure.
[F. No. 01-04/2024-PO]
VIVEK KUMAR DAKSH, Dy. Director General
Post Office Rules 2024 came into effect from 16-12-2024 supressing the Indian Post Office Rules 1933. These rules are issued in accordance with Post Office Act 2023 (43rd act of 2023)
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