66.
Penalty for detention of letters on board vessel arriving in
port.
-
(1) Whoever, being either the master of ship arriving at any port
in [India] or any one on board, knowingly has in his baggage or in his
possession or custody, after
the postal articles on board or any of them
have been sent to the post office at the port of arrival, any postal article
within the exclusive privilege conferred on the [Central Government] by
section 4, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to fi
fty
rupees for every such postal article as aforesaid.
(2)
Whoever, being such master or other person as aforesaid,
detains any such postal articles as aforesaid after demand made for it
by an officer of the Post Office, shall be punishable with fine whic
h may
extend to one hundred rupees for every such postal article.
67
.
Penalty for detaining mails or opening mail bag.
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Whoever,
except under the authority of this Act [or of any other Act for the time
being in force] or in obedience to the order in wri
ting of the Central
Government or the direction of a competent Court, detains the mail or
any postal article in course of transmission by post, or on any pretence
opens a mail bag in course of transmission by post, shall be punishable
with fine which may e
xtend to two hundred rupees :
Provided that nothing in this section shall prevent the detention
of an officer of the post office carrying the mails or any postal article in
course of transmission by post, on a charge of having committed an
offence declar
ed to be cognizable by the Code of Criminal Procedure,
1898 (5 of 1898), or any other law for the time being in force.
68.
Penalty for retaining postal articles wrongly delivered or
mail bags.
–
Whoever fraudulently retains or willfully secretes or
makes
away with, or keeps or detains, or when required by an officer of
the post office, neglects or refuses to deliver up, any postal article in
course of transmission by post which ought to have been delivered to
any other person, or a mail bag containing a p
ostal article, shall be
punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two
years, and shall also be punishable with fine.
69.
Penalty for unlawfully diverting letters.
-
Whoever, not being
an officer of the Post Office, willfully and maliciou
sly, with intent to
injure any person, either opens or causes to be opened any letter
which ought to have been delivered, or does any act whereby the due
delivery of a letter to any person is prevented or impeded, shall be
punishable with imprisonment for
a term which may extend to six
months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with
both :
Provided that nothing in this Section shall apply to a person who
does any act to which the section applies, if he is a parent, or in the
position
of a parent or guardian, of the addressee, and the addressee
is a minor or a ward