THE POST OFFICE ACT, 2023 

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ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 

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SECTIONS  

1.  Short title and commencement. 
2.  Definitions.  
3.  Services to be provided by Post Office. 
4.  Exclusive privilege in respect of postage stamps. 
5.  Addresses and postcodes. 
6.  Power to give effect to arrangements with other countries. 
7.  Recovery of sums due in respect of services provided by Post Office. 
8.  Official mark to be evidence of certain facts denoted. 
9.  Power to intercept, open or detain any item or deliver item to customs authority. 
10.  Exemption from liability.  
11.  Delegation of power, other than rulemaking powers to Director General. 
12.  Power to make rules. 
13.  Power to make regulations. 
14.  Laying of rules and regulations in Parliament. 
15.  Power to remove difficulties. 
16.  Repeal and savings. 

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THE POST OFFICE ACT, 2023 

ACT NO. 43 OF 2023 

[24th December, 2023.] 

An  Act  to  consolidate  and  amend  the  law  relating  to  Post  Office  in  India  and  to  provide  for 

matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. 

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Seventy-fourth Year of the Republic of India as follows:–– 

1. Short title, extent and commencement.— (1) This Act may be called the Post Office Act, 2023.  

(2)  It  shall  come  into  force  on  such  date1  as  the  Central  Government  may,  by  notification  in  the 

Official Gazette, appoint.  

2. Definitions.–– In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— 

(a)  “Director  General”  means  the  Director  General of  Postal  Services  appointed  by  the  Central 
Government and includes any officer authorised by the Central Government to perform the duties of 
the Director General; 

(b) “item” means an indivisible article which the Post Office accepts for providing a service; 

(c) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette; 

(d) “Post Office” means the Department of Posts and includes every house, building, room, place 

or any other asset used by the Post Office for providing any service; 

(e)  “prescribe”  means  prescribe  by  rules  made  under  this  Act  and  the  expression  “prescribed” 

shall be construed accordingly; 

(f) “regulations” means the regulations made under this Act 

3. Services to be provided by Post Office.––(1) The Post Office shall provide such services as the 

Central Government may prescribe. 

(2) The Director General may make regulations— 

(a) in respect of activities necessary to provide services referred to in sub-section (1); and 

(b)  to  fix  charges  for,  and  the  terms  and  conditions  in  respect  of,  services  referred  to  in                

sub-section (1). 

(3) Any service provided by the Post Office shall be subject to any other law for the time being in 

force. 

4. Exclusive privilege in respect of postage stamps.–– (1) The Post Office shall have the exclusive 

privilege of issuing postage stamps. 

(2) The Director General may make regulations relating to the supply and sale of postage stamps and 

postal stationery. 

(3) In this section, the expressions— 

(a) “postage stamp” means any stamp provided by the Central Government, in any form, physical 
or digital, for denoting sums payable in respect of such service provided by the Post Office, as may be 
prescribed  and  includes  stamps  affixed,  printed,  embossed,  embedded,  impressed,  or  otherwise 
indicated on an item; 

(b) “postal stationery” means stationery, issued by the Post Office such as envelopes, letter cards, 
postcards, bearing imprinted stamps or inscriptions indicating that sum payable in respect of a service 
provided by the Post Office has been prepaid. 

1.  18th June, 2024, vide notification No. S.O. 2352(E), dated, 17th day of June, 2024, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, 
sec. 3(ii). 

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5. Addresses and postcodes.–– (1) The Central Government may prescribe standards for addressing 

on the items, address identifiers and usage of postcodes. 

(2)  In  this  section,  “postcode”  means  a  series  of  digits,  letters  or  digital  code  or  a  combination  of 
digits, letters or digital code used to identify a geographic area or location, and ease the process of sorting 
and delivery of items and for other purposes. 

6.  Power  to  give  effect  to  arrangements  with  other  countries.––The  Central  Government  may 
make rules to give effect to arrangements made with any foreign country or territory for services provided 
by the Post Office between India and the said foreign country or territory. 

7. Recovery of sums due in respect of services provided by Post Office.––(1) Every person who 
avails a service provided by the Post Office shall be liable to pay the charges in respect of such service. 

(2) If any person refuses or neglects to pay the charges referred to in sub-section (1), such amount 
shall be recoverable as if it were an arrear of land revenue due from him. 

8. Official mark to be evidence of certain facts denoted.––The Central Government may prescribe 
the conditions for denoting the official marks on items to be used as prima facie evidence of the facts so 
denoted. 

9.  Power  to  intercept,  open  or  detain any  item  or deliver item to  customs  authority.––(1) The 
Central  Government  may,  by  notification,  empower  any  officer  to  cause  any  item  in  course  of 
transmission by the Post Office to be intercepted, opened or detained in the interest of the security of the 
State,  friendly  relations  with  foreign  states,  public  order,  emergency,  or  public  safety  or  upon  the 
occurrence of any contravention of any of the provisions of this Act or any other law for the time being in 
force. 

(2) The Central Government may cause any item referred to in sub-section (1) to be disposed of in 
such manner as it deems appropriate. 

(3) The Central Government may, by notification, empower any officer of the Post Office to deliver 
an  item,  received  from  within  or  beyond  the limits  of  India  and  reckoned  to  contain  anything  liable to 
duty or which is suspected to contain any prohibited item to such customs authority or any other authority 
as may be specified in the said notification, and such customs authority or any other authority shall deal 
with such item in accordance with the provisions of any law for the time being in force. 

10. Exemption from liability.––(1) Notwithstanding anything in any other law for the time being in 
force, the Post Office shall not incur any liability except such liability as may be prescribed with regard to 
a service provided by the Post Office. 

(2) No officer of the Post Office shall incur any liability with regard to a service provided by the Post 
Office, unless the officer has acted fraudulently or wilfully caused loss, delay or mis-delivery of service. 

11.  Delegation  of  power,  other  than  rulemaking  powers  to  Director  General.––The  Central 
Government  may,  by  notification,  authorise,  either  absolutely  or  subject  to  conditions,  the  Director 
General to exercise any of the powers conferred upon the Central Government by this Act, other than the 
power to make rules. 

12. Power to make rules.––The Central Government may, by notification, make rules for carrying 
out the purposes of this Act. 

13. Power to make regulations.— The Director General may, with the prior approval of the Central 
Government, by notification, make regulations for carrying out the provisions of this Act. 

14. Laying of rules and regulations in Parliament.— Every rule or regulation made under this Act 
shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session, 
for  a  total  period  of  thirty  days  which  may  be  comprised  in  one  session  or  in  two  or  more  successive 
sessions,  and  if,  before  the  expiry  of  the  session  immediately  following  the  session  or  the  successive 
sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule or regulation or both Houses 
agree that the rule or regulation should not be made, the rule or regulation shall thereafter have effect only 
in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or 
annulment  shall  be  without  prejudice  to  the  validity  of  anything  previously  done  under  that  rule  or 
regulation. 

15. Power to remove  difficulties.—(1)  If  any  difficulty  arises  in  giving  effect to  the  provisions  of 
this  Act,  the  Central  Government  may,  by  order  in  the  Official  Gazette,  make  such  provisions  not 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act as appear to it to be necessary or expedient for removing the 
difficulty: 

Provided that no order shall be made under this section after the expiry of two years from the date of 
commencement of this Act. 

(2) Every order made under this section shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each 
House of Parliament. 

16. Repeal and savings.—(1) The Indian Post Office Act, 1898 (6 of 1898) is hereby repealed. 

(2) Notwithstanding the repeal of the Act by sub-section (1), all rules, notifications and orders, made 
or purported to have been made under the Indian Post Office Act, 1898 (6 of 1898), shall, in so far as they 
relate to matters for which provision is made in this Act and are not inconsistent therewith, be deemed to 
have been made under this Act and shall continue in force unless and until they are superseded by any 
rules or notification or order made under this Act.