Transfers of rights to be void

Except as provided in section 17, none of the rights or interests vested in a tenant by or under the Government Tenants (Punjab) Act, 1893, or this Act, shall, without the consent in writing of the Commissioner, or of such officer as he may by written order empower in this behalf, be transferred or charged by any sale, exchange, gift, will, mortgage or other private contract, other than a sub-lease for not more than one year in the case of a tenant who has not acquired a right of occupancy, and seven years in the case of a tenant who has acquired a right of occupancy. Any such transfer or charge made without such consent in writing shall be void, and if (after the commencement of this Act) the transferee has obtained possession, he shall be ejected under the order of the Collector : Provided that the right of sub-letting conferred by this section shall not release any tenant from a condition requiring him to reside in the estate in which his tenancy is situated.