THE DELHI LAWS ACT, 1912 

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ARRANGEMENT  OF SECTIONS 
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SECTIONS 

1.  Short title and commencement. 
2.  Saving of territorial application of enactments. 
3.  Construction of certain enactments in force in the territories mentioned in Schedule A. 
4.  Powers  of  Courts  and  State  Government  for  purposes  of  facilitating  application  of 

enactments. 

5.  Vesting of powers of separate officers in single officer.   
6.  Pending proceedings. 
7.  [Repealed.] 

SHEDULE A 

SHEDULE B 

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THE DELHI LAWS ACT, 1912 

ACT NO. 13 OF 1912 

[18th September, 1912.] 

An  Act  to  provide  for  the  application  of  the  law  in  force  in  the  Province  of  Delhi  and  for  the 

extension of the enactment thereto. 

WHEREAS by Proclamation1 published in Notification No. 911, dated the seventeenth day of 
September,  1912,  the  Governor-General  in  Council,  with  the  sanction  and  approbation  of  the 
Secretary  of  State  for  India,  has  been  pleased  to  take  under  his  immediate  authority  and 
management  the  territory  mentioned  in  Schedule  A,  which  was  formerly  included  within  the 
Province of the Punjab, and to provide for the administration thereof by a Chief Commissioner as 
a separate Province to be known as the Province of Delhi; 

AND  WHEREAS  it  is  expedient  to  provide  for  the  application  of  the  law  in  force  in  the  said 

territory, and for the extension of other enactments thereto; It is hereby enacted as follows:— 

1. Short title and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Delhi Laws Act, 1912; 

and 

(2) It shall come into force on the first day of October, 1912. 

2.  Saving  of  territorial  application  of  enactments.—The  Proclamation  referred  to  in  the 
preamble  shall  not  be  deemed  to  have  affected  any  change  in  the  territorial  application  of  any 
enactment  notwithstanding  that  such  enactment  may  be  expressed  to  apply  or  extend  to  the 
territories for the time being under any particular administration. 

3. Construction of certain enactments in force in the territories mentioned in Schedule 
A.—All enactments made by any authority in 2[India] and all notifications, orders, schemes, rules, 
forms and by-laws issued, made or prescribed under such enactments which immediately before 
the commencement of this Act were in force in, or prescribed for, any of the territory mentioned 
in Schedule A, shall in their application to that territory be construed as if references therein to the 
authorities, or gazette mentioned in column I of Schedule B were references to the authorities, or 
gazette respectively mentioned or referred to opposite thereto in column 2 of that Schedule. 

3*   

* 

* 

* 

* 

1.  See Gazette of India, 1912, Extraordinary, p. 17. 
2. Subs. by the A.O. 1950 for “the Provinces”. 
3. Proviso to s. 3 rep. by the A.O. 1937. 

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4.  Powers  of  Courts  and  State  Government  for  purposes  of  facilitating  application  of 

enactments.—For the purpose of facilitating the application to the territory mentioned in Schedule A or 

any part thereof of any enactment passed before the commencement of this Act or of any notification, order, 

scheme, rule, form or by-law issued, made or prescribed under any such enactment— 

(1) any Court may, subject to the other provisions of this Act, construe the enactment, notification, 
order,  scheme,  rule,  form  or  by-law  with  such  alterations  not  affecting  the  substance  as  may  be 
necessary or proper to adapt it to the matter before the Court, and 

(2) the State Government may, subject to the other provisions of this Act, by notification in the 
Official Gazette direct by what officer any power or duty shall be exercised or discharged, and any such 
notification shall have effect as if enacted in this Act. 

5. Vesting of powers of separate officers in single officer.—(1) A notification issued under 

section  4,  sub-section  (2),  may  direct  that  any  powers  or  duties  vested  in  separate  officers  may  be 

consolidate and vested in, and discharged by, a single officer. 

(2) Where by such a notification appellate powers are consolidated and vested in a single officer, the 

period of limitation for the consolidated appeal shall be the longest period provided in the case of an appeal 

to any of the officers whose powers are so consolidated. 

6. Pending proceedings.—Nothing in this Act shall affect any proceeding which at the commencement 

thereof is pending in respect of any of the territory mentioned in Schedule A, and every such proceeding 

shall be continued as if this Act had not been passed: 

Provided  that  all  proceedings  which  at  the  commencement  of  this  Act  are  pending  before  the 

Commissioner of the Division or any other authority within the territory mentioned in Schedule A shall be 

transferred to, and disposed of by, such authorities in the State of Delhi as the State Government may, by 

notification in the Official Gazette, direct. 

7. Power to extend enactments in force in other Provinces with modifications and restrictions.—

[Repealed by the Part C States (Laws) Act, 1950 (30 of 1950), s. 4.] 

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SHEDULE A 

(See Section 3) 

1The State of Delhi 

That portion of the District of Delhi comprising the Tahsil of Delhi and the police-station of Mahrauli. 

1. 65 villages were subsequently included in the State of Delhi, see the Delhi Laws Act, 1915 (7 of 1915), Schedule I. 

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SHEDULE B 

(See Section 3) 

Constructions 

2 

References 

1 

1[* * *] 

2. The 2[State Government] of the Punjab. 

2[* * *] 

5. The Chief Customs Authority 

6. The Financial Commissioner 

The 3[State Government] of Delhi. 

7. The Commissioner of Revenue 

8. The Commissioner of the Division 

9. The Commissioner 

10. The Chief Secretary to Government 

11. A Secretary to Government or to the State Government. 

12. All officers and officials bodies not mentioned in the foregoing 
clause  except  the  Treasurer  of  Charitable  Endowments  whose 
authority extended immediately before the commencement of this 
Act over the territory mentioned in Schedule A. 

Such  officials  or  official  bodies 
respectively as the State Government 
may,  by  notification  in  the  Official 
Gazette, direct. 

4*                  *                   *                  *                                * 

1. Items 1, 3 and 4 rep. by the A.O. 1937. 
2. Subs., ibid., for “Lieutinant-Governor”. 
3. Subs., ibid., for “Chief Commissioner”. 
4. Entry 13 rep. ibid. 

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