1. (1) This Act may be called the Lunacy Act, 1912.(2) It extends to the whole of Bangladesh.

2. Nothing contained in Part II shall be deemed to affect the powers of ¹[the High Court Division], over any person found to be a lunatic by inquisition or over the property of such lunatic, or the rights of any person appointed by such Court as guardian of the person or manager of the estate of such lunatic.

3. In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,- (1) “asylum” means an asylum or mental hospital for lunatics established or licensed by the Government: (2) “cost of maintenance” in an asylum includes the cost of lodging, maintenance, clothing, medicine and care of a lunatic and any expenditure incurred in removing such lunatic to and from an asylum together with any other charges specified in this behalf by the Government, in exercise of any power conferred upon it by this Act: (3) “District Court” means the principal Civil Court of original Jurisdiction in any area: (4) “criminal lunatic” means any person for whose detention in, or removal to an asylum, jail or other place of safe custody an order has been made in accordance with the provisions of section 466 or section 471 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 or of section 30 of the Prisoners Act, 1900, ²[* * *] or of section 130 of the ³[Army Act, 1952]: (5) “lunatic” means an idiot or person of unsound mind: (6) “Magistrate” means a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or a Magistrate of the first class specially empowered by Government to perform the functions of a Magistrate under this Act: (7) “medical officer” means a gazetted medical officer in the service of the ⁴[Republic], and includes a medical practitioner declared by general or special order of the Government to be a medical officer for the purposes of this Act: (8) “medical practitioner” means a holder of a qualification to practise medicine and surgery which can be registered in the United Kingdom in accordance with the law for the time being in force for the registration of medical practitioners, and includes any person declared by general or special order of the Government to be a medical practitioner for the purposes of this Act: (9) “prescribed” means prescribed by this Act or by rule made thereunder: (10) “reception order” means an order made under the provisions of this Act for the reception into an asylum of a lunatic other than a lunatic so found by inquisition: (11) “relative” includes any person related by blood, marriage or adoption: and (12) “rule” means a rule made under this Act.