of¶ copies of every book printed or lithographed in British India, and for the registration of such books, it is hereby enacted as follows:

PART I.-Preliminary.

1. In this Act, unless there shall be something repugnant in the subject or context

"Book" includes every volume, part or division of a volume, and pamphlet, in any language, and every sheet of music, map, chart or plan separately printed or lithographed.

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British India" means the territories which are or shall be vested in Her Majesty or her Successors by the *Statute 21 & 22 Vict., cap. 106 (An Act for the better government of India) . . . .t "Magistrate" means any person exercising the full powers of a Magistrate, and includes a §Magistrate of Police . . . .

Words in the singular include the plural, and vice versa.
Words denoting the masculine gender include females.

And in every part of British India to which this Act shall extend, "Local Government" shall mean the person authorised by law to administer executive government in such part, and includes a Chief Commissioner.

2. [Repeal of Act XI of 1835.] Rep. Act XIV of 1870.

PART II.-Of Printing-presses and Newspapers.

3. Every book or paper printed within British India shall have printed legibly on it the name of the printer and the place of

It has been declared, by notification under s. 3 (b) of the same Act, 1874 (14 of 1874), not to be in force in the Scheduled District of Lahaul in the Punjab, see "Gazette of India," 1886, Pt. I, p. 301.

It has been extended, by notification under s. 5 of the same Act, to the Tarai District of the North-Western Provinces, see Gazette of India," 1876, Pt. I, p. 506.

The word three" in the preamble was repealed by the Press and Registration of Books Act Amendment Act, 1890 (10 of 1890), s. 1, General Acts, Vol. V.

*Short title "The Government of India Act, 1858," see "Collection of Statutes relating to India," Vol. I, p. 300.

Cf. definition in s. 3 (24) of the General Clauses Act, 1897 (10 of 1897), General Acts, Vol. VI.

The words "other than the Settlement of Prince of Wales' Island, Singapore and Malacca were repealed by the Repealing and Amending Act, 1891 (12 of 1891), General Acts, Vol. VI.

Now Magistrate of the first class, see the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (Act 5 of 1898), s. 3, reprinted as modified up to the 1st April, 1903.

§ Now Presidency Magistrate, see the Press and Registration of Books Act (1867) Amendment Act, 1890 (10 of 1890), s. 3, and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, mentioned above.

The words I and a Justice of the Peace' were repealed by the Press and Registration of Books Act (1867) Amendment Act, 1890 (10 of 1890), s 2, General Acts, Vol. V.

printing, and (if the book or paper be published)* [the_name] of the publisher and the place of publication.

4. No person shall, within British India, keep in his possession any press for the printing of books or paper, who shall not have made and subscribed the following declaration before the Magistrate within whose local jurisdiction such press may be :

“I, A. B., declare that I have a press for printing at

And this last blank shall be filled up with a true and precise description of the place where such press may be situate.

or

5. No printed periodical work, containing public news comments on public news, shall be published in British India, except in conformity with the rules hereinafter laid down:

(1.) The printer and the publisher of every such periodical work shall appear before the Magistrate, within whose local jurisdiction such work shall be published, and shall make and subscribe, in duplicate, the following declaration :--

"I, A. B., declare that I am the printer [or publisher, or printer and publisher] of the periodical work entitled

and printed [or published, or printed and published, as the case may be] at

And the last blank in this form of declaration shall be filled up with a true and precise account of the premises where the printing or publication is conducted.

(2.) As often as the place of printing or publication is changed, a new declaration shall be necessary.

(3.) As often as the printer or the publisher who shall have made such declaration as is aforesaid shall leave British India, a new declaration from a printer or publisher resident within the said territories shall be necessary.

6. Each of the two originals of every declaration so made and subscribed as is aforesaid shall be authenticated by the signature and official seal of the Magistrate before whom the said declaration. shall have been made.

One of the said originals shall be deposited among the records of the office of the Magistrate, and the other shall be deposited among the records of the High Court of Judicature, or [tother principal Civil Court of original jurisdiction for the place where] the said declaration shall have been made.

The officer in charge of each original shall allow any person to inspect that original on payment of a fee of 1 rupee, and shall give to any person applying a copy of the said declaration, attested by

The words "the name were inserted by the Repealing and Amending Act, 1891 (12 of 1891), General Acts, Vol. VI.

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These words in s. 6 were substituted for the words other Court within the local limits of whose ordinary original civil jurisdiction by the Press and Registration of Books Act (1867) Amendment Act, 1890 (10 of 1890), s. 3, General Acts, Vol. V.

the seal of the Court which has the custody of the original, on payment of a fee of 2 rupees.

7. In any legal proceeding whatever, as well civil as criminal, the production of a copy of such declaration as is aforesaid, attested by the seal of some Court empowered by this Act to have the custody of such declarations, shall be held (unless the contrary be proved) to be sufficient evidence, as against the person whose name shall be subscribed to such declaration, that the said person was printer or publisher, or printer and publisher (according as the words of the said declaration may be) of every portion of every periodical work whereof the title shall correspond with the title of the periodical work mentioned in the declaration.

8. Provided always that any person who may have subscribed any such declaration as is aforesaid, and who may subsequently cease to be the printer or publisher of the periodical work mentioned in such declaration, may appear before any Magistrate and make and subscribe, in duplicate, the following declaration :--

"I, A. B., declare that I have ceased to be the printer [or publisher, or printer and publisher] of the periodical work entitled

Each original of the latter declaration shall be authenticated by the signature and seal of the Magistrate before whom the said latter declaration shall have been made, and one original of the said latter declaration shall be filed along with each original of the former declaration.

The officer in charge of each original of the latter declaration shall allow any person applying to inspect that original on payment of a fee of 1 rupee, and shall give to any person applying a copy of the said latter declaration, attested by the seal of the Court having custody of the original. on payment of a fee of 2 rupees.

In all trials in which a copy, attested as is aforesaid, of the former declaration shall have been put in evidence, it shall be lawful to put in evidence a copy, attested as is aforesaid, of the latter declaration, and the former declaration shall not be taken to be evidence that the declarant was, at any period subsequent to the date of the latter declaration, printer or publisher of the periodical work therein mentioned.

PART III.-Delivery of Books.'

9. Printed or lithographed copies of the whole of every book which shall be printed or lithographed in British India after this Act shall come into force, together with all maps, prints or other engravings belonging thereto, finished and coloured in the same manner as the best copies of the same, shall, notwithstanding any

*This Part was substituted for the original Part III (relating to the delivery to the Local Government of all published books, &c., and to the payment therefor and disposal of the copies) by the Press and Registration of Books Act (1867) Amendment Act, 1890 (10 of 1890), s. 4, General Acts, Vol. V.

agreement (if the book be published) between the printer and publisher thereof, be delivered by the printer at such place and to such officer as the Local Government shall, by notification in the official Gazette, from time to time direct, and free of expense to the Government, as follows, that is to say* :—

(a) in any case, within one calendar month after the day on which any such book shall first be delivered out of the press, one such copy, and

(b) if within one calendar year from such day the Local Government shall require the printer to deliver other such copies not exceeding two in number, then within one calendar month after the day on which any such requisition shall be made by the Local Government on the printer, another such copy, or two other such copies, as the Local Government may direct,

the copies so delivered being bound, sewed or stitched together and upon the best paper on which any copies of the book shall be printed or lithographed.

The publisher or other person employing the printer shall, at a reasonable time before the expiration of the said month, supply him with all maps, prints and engravings finished and coloured as aforesaid, which may be necessary to enable him to comply with the requirements aforesaid.

Nothing in the former part of this section shall apply to— (i) any second or subsequent edition of a book in which edition no additions or alterations, either in the letterpress or in the maps, book prints or other engravings belonging to the book, have been made, and a copy of the first or some preceding edition of which book has been delivered under this Act, or

(ii) any periodical work published in conformity with the rules laid down in section 5 of this Act.

10. The officer to whom a copy of a book is delivered under the last foregoing section shall give to the printer a receipt in writing therefor.

11. The copy delivered pursuant to clause (a) of the first paragraph of section 9 of this Act shall be disposed of as the Local

For officers to whom books are to be delivered under this section in :(1.) Ajmer, see Ajmer Local Rules and Orders, Vol. I, p. 8. (2.) Assam, see Assam Manual of Local Rules and Orders, p. 10 (Rule 1). (3.) Bengal, see Bengal Statutory Local Rules and Orders, Vol. II, p. 16 (Rule 1).

(4.) Bombay, see Bombay Local Rules and Orders, Vol. I, (5.) Burma, see Burma Rules and Manual, Vol. I, p. 10.

p. 31.

(6.) Central Provinces, see Central Provinces Local Rules and Orders,

p. 22 (Rule 1).

(7.) Madras, see Madras Local Rules and Orders, Vol. I, p. 32 (Rule 1). (8.) Punjab, see Punjab List of Local Rules and Orders, p. 23.

(9.) United Provinces, see United Provinces List of Local Rules and

Orders, List 3, p. 24.

Government shall from time to time determine.* Any copy or copies delivered pursuant to clause (b) of the said paragraph shall be transmitted to the British Museum or the Secretary of State for India, or to the British Museum and the said Secretary of State, as the case may be.

PART IV.-Penalties.

12. Whoever shall print or publish any book or paper otherwise than in conformity with the rule contained in section 3 of this Act shall, on conviction before a Magistrate, be punished by fine not exceeding 5,000 rupees, or by simple imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or by both.

13. Whoever shall keep in his possession any such press as aforesaid, without making such a declaration as is required by section 4 of this Act shall, on conviction before a Magistrate, be punished by fine not exceeding 5,000 rupees, or by simple imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or by both.

14. Any person who shall, in making any declaration under the authority of this Act, make a statement which is false, and which he either knows or believes to be false or does not believe to be true, shall, on conviction before a Magistrate, be punished by fine not exceeding 5,000 rupees, and imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.

15. Whoever shall print or publish any such periodical work as is hereinbefore described without conforming to the rules hereinbefore laid down, or whoever shall print or publish, or shall cause to be printed or published, any such periodical work, knowing that the said rules have not been observed with respect to that work, shall, on conviction before a Magistrate, be punished with fine not exceeding 5,000 rupees, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both.

+16. If any printer of any such book as is referred to in section 9 of this Act shall neglect to deliver copies of the same pursuant to that section, he shall, for every such default, forfeit to the Government such sum not exceeding 50 rupees as a Magistrate having jurisdiction in the place where the book was printed may, on the application of the officer to whom the copies should have been delivered, or of any person authorised by that officer in his behalf, determine to be in the circumstances a reasonable penalty for the default, and, in addition to such sum. such further sum as the Magistrate may determine to be the value of the copies which the printer ought to have delivered.

If any publisher or other person employing any such printer shall neglect to supply him, in the manner prescribed in the second paragraph of section 9 of this Act, with the maps, prints or

* As to where copies in Burma are to be deposited, see Notification No. G. D. 123, dated 13th June, 1890, Burma Rules Manual, Ed. 1903: in the United Provinces, see Notification quoted at p. 24 of the United Provinces List of Local Rules and Orders, Ed. 1904.

This section was substituted for the original s. 16 by the Press and Registration of Books Act (1867) Amendment Act, 1890 (10 of 1890), s. 5, General Acts, Vol. V.