with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, and
shall also be punishable with fine.
53.
Penalty for opening, detaining or delaying postal articles.
-
Whoever
, being an officer of the Post Office, contrary to this duty,
opens, or causes or suffers to be opened, any postal article in course
of transmission by post, or willfully details or delays, or causes or
suffers to be detained or delayed, any such postal ar
ticle, shall be
punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two
years, or with fine or both.
Provided
that nothing in this Section shall extend to the opening,
detaining or delaying of any postal article under the authority of this Act
or
in obedience to the order in writing of the Central Government or the
direction of a competent Court.
54.
Penalty for fraud in connection with official marks and for
receipt of excess postage.
-
Whoever, being an officer of the Post
Office.
-
(a) fraudul
ently puts any wrong official mark on a postal article, or
(b) fraudulently alters, removes or causes to disappear an official mark
which is on a postal article, or
(c) being entrusted with the delivery of any postal article, knowingly
demands or receive
s any sum of money in respect of the postage
thereof which is not chargeable under this Act, shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, and shall also
be punishable with fine.
55.
Penalty
for fraudulently preparing, a
ltering, secreting or
destroying Post Office documents.
-
Whoever, being an officer of
the Post Office entrusted with the preparing or keeping of any
document, fraudulently prepares the document incorrectly, or alters or
secretes or destroys the document,
shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, and shall also
be punishable with fine.
56.
Penalty
for fraudulently sending unpaid postal articles.
-
Whoever, being an officer of the post office, sends by post, or puts int
o
any mail bag, any postal article upon which postage has not been paid
or charged in the manner prescribed by this Act, intending thereby to
defraud the government of the postage on such postal article shall be
punishable with imprisonment for a term whic
h may extend to two
years and shall also be punishable with fine.
57.
Punishment of offences committed in a tribal area, acceding
State or other Indian State.
[Rep. By the finance Act, 1950 (25 of
1950), sec. 11 and Sch.IV.]