1.(1) This Act may be called the Post Office Act, 1898. (2) It extends to the whole of Bangladesh and applies to all citizens of Bangladesh and persons in the service of Government wherever they may be. (3) It shall come into force on the first day of July, 1898.

2. In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,–(a) the expression “Director General” means the Director General, Bangladesh Post Office: ¹[(aa) the expression “franking machine” means a machine by the impression of which the name of the office of posting, date of posting and the amount of postage realised are printed on the postal articles:](b) the expression “inland,” used in relation to a postal article, means- ²[(i) posted in Bangladesh and addressed to any place in Bangladesh]; ³[* * *]:Provided that the expression “inland” shall not apply to any class of postal articles which may be specified in this behalf by the Government by notification in the official Gazette, when posted in or at or addressed to any places or post offices which may be described in such notification:(c) the expression “mail bag” includes a bag, box, parcel or any other envelope or covering in which postal articles in course of transmission by post are conveyed, whether it does or does not contain any such article:(d) the expression “mail ship” means a ship employed for carrying mails, pursuant to contract or continuing arrangement, by the Government or ⁴[a foreign country]:(e) the expression “officer of the Post Office” includes any person employed in any business of the Post Office or on behalf of the Post Office:(f) the expression “postage” means the duty chargeable for the transmission by post of postal articles:(g) the expression “postage stamp” means any stamp provided by the Government for denoting postage or other fees or sums payable in respect of postal articles under this Act., and includes adhesive postage stamps and stamps printed, embossed, impressed or otherwise indicated on any envelope, wrapper, postcard or other article:(h) the expression “post office” includes every house, building, room, carriage or place used for the purposes of the Post Office, and every letter-box provided by the Post Office for the reception of postal articles:(i) the expression “postal article” includes a letter, postcard, newspaper, book, pattern or sample packet, parcel and every article or thing transmissible by post:(j) the expression “Postmaster General” includes a Deputy Postmaster General or other officer exercising the powers of a Postmaster General: and (k) the expression “Post Office” means the department established for the purpose of carrying the provisions of this Act into effect and presided over by the Director General.

3. For the purposes of this Act,-(a) a postal article shall be deemed to be in course of transmission by post from the time of its being delivered to a post office to the time of its being delivered to the addressee or of its being returned to the sender or otherwise disposed of under Chapter VII: (b) the delivery of a postal article of any description to a postman or other person authorised to receive postal articles of that description for the post shall be deemed to be a delivery to a post office: and(c) the delivery of a postal article at the house or office of the addressee, or to the addressee or his servant or agent or other person considered to be authorised to receive the article according to the usual manner of delivering postal articles to the addressee, shall be deemed to be delivery to the addressee.