Revenue Recovery Act, 1890

This 1890 law creates a mechanism for government revenue authorities, called Collectors, in one district to help recover unpaid land-revenue-type dues owed by someone who has moved to, or has property in, another district. Section 3 lets a Collector send a certificate, in the form set out in the Schedule, to the Collector of the district where the defaulter or their property is located, stating the defaulter's identity and the amount owed; that certificate is, per Section 3(2), conclusive proof of what it states, and the receiving Collector then recovers the amount as if it were an arrear of land revenue that arose in their own district.

Section 4 gives the person named in the certificate a remedy if they dispute the debt: they can pay under written protest and then sue in a civil court, in the area where the original certifying Collector's office is located, to recover the amount.

Section 5 extends this recovery mechanism to other public officers or local authorities, not just Collectors, who are owed sums recoverable as land revenue. Section 6 lets the receiving Collector issue a proclamation prohibiting the transfer of the defaulter's immovable property in the district once a certificate is received, and any private sale, gift, or mortgage of that property made in defiance of the proclamation is void as against the government and any eventual purchaser at a recovery sale; the proclamation is publicised by beat of drum and posted near the property.

Section 7 preserves other laws' provisions for recovering land revenue and clarifies that this Act doesn't authorise arrest for recovering municipal taxes. Section 8 extends the recovery mechanism to certain public demands arising in areas under Federal Government administration but outside Pakistan proper. Section 10 requires a Collector who recovers money on another Collector's certificate to remit it back after deducting expenses.

This is a very old 1890 statute, substantially trimmed by later amendments, with several sections omitted, including provisions about Burma and Acceding States, reflecting Pakistan's post-independence legal history, so current applicability and procedure should be checked against the present official text.