Andhra Pradesh Escheats and Bona Vacantia Act, 1974
Andhra Pradesh Escheats and Bona Vacantia Act, 1974
The Andhra Pradesh Escheats and Bona Vacantia Act, 1974 provides a legal framework for the state government to manage, safeguard, and claim ownerless property within Andhra Pradesh. It applies to movable and immovable assets left by individuals dying without legal heirs or property lacking an identifiable owner. Local officers, such as District Collectors, are empowered to investigate unclaimed assets, take temporary custody, and issue public declarations. This legislation prevents unlawful encroachment on abandoned assets, ensures orderly management of unclaimed wealth, and protects rightful claimants by prohibiting the sale of escheated real estate for twelve years.
- 1. Short title, extent and commencement
- 2. Definitions
- 3. Ownership of property accruing by escheat or lapse or as bona vacantia
- 4. General superintendence of escheats and bona vacantia
- 5. Local officers
- 6. Powers of disposal of escheat or bona vacantia
- 7. Inquiry relating to escheat or bona vacantia by local officer
- 8. local Officer to institute a suit for recovery of possession of escheat or bona vacantia when the person in possession resists
- 9. Local officer to take into custody and to arrange for care and maintenance of property which is not in the possession of any person or its possession is surrendered
- 10. Disposal by local officer of property in certain cases
- 11. Procedure for declaring property to be escheat or bona vacantia
- 12. Publication of declaration
- 13. Immovable property escheated to Government not to be sold until twelve years after such escheat
- 14. Disposal of movable property found in a public place
- 15. Delegation of powers
- 16. Power to make rules
- 17. Repeal and saving
- 0. Preamble
PDF: pending for this language.