The Indian Post Office Act of 1898 outlines regulations for postal services in India. Key points include: 1. The Act extends to all of India and applies to Indian citizens outside India. It prohibits sending lottery tickets, advertisements, or materials related to illegal lotteries via post. 2. Sending indecent, obscene, seditious, threatening or offensive materials through postal services is also prohibited. 3. Postal articles suspected of containing prohibited goods can be detained, examined, and delivered or destroyed depending on the item and relevant laws. 4. During public emergencies, the government may intercept, detain or dispose of postal articles to ensure public safety or tranquility.

1. INDIAN POST OFFICE ACT 1898

2. INDIAN POST OFFICE ACT,1898
It extends to the whole of India and also applies to all citizens of
India outside India.
19.No person shall send by post –
(a)Any ticket , proposal or advertisement relating to a lottery or
(b)Any matter descriptive of ,or otherwise relating to a lottery which
is calculated to act as an inducement to persons to partcipate in that
lottery
20.No person shall send by post -
a. Any indecent or obscene printing
,painting,photograph,lithograph,engraving ,book or card or any
other indescent or obscene article.
b. Any postal article or on the cover thereof any
words,marks,designs of indescent ,obscene seditious,threatening
or grossly offensive character.

3. INDIAN POST OFFICE ACT,1898
23(1)Any postal article sent by post in contravention of the provisions
of this Act ,may be deatained and either returned to the sender or
forwarded to the destination ,in each case charged with such
additional postage (if any),as the central government may by rule
direct.
(2)Any officer incharge of a post office or authorized by post master
on his behalf ,may open or unfasten any newspaper or any book or
sample packet in course of transmission by post which he suspects to
have been sent by post in contravention to Sec 20.
(3) Not withstanding anything in sub section (1)Any postal article
sent by post in contravention ,may under the authority of the post
master general ,if necessary be opened and destroyed in a manner as
the central govt.by rule may direct.

4. INDIAN POST OFFICE ACT,1898
24.Where a postal article suspected to contain any goods of which the import by
post or transmission by post is prohibited , the officer incharge of the post office
shall send a notice in writing to the addresse inviting him to attend ,either in
person or by agent ,within a specified time at the post office and shall in the
prescence of the addressee or his agent,or if the addresse or his agent fails to
attend as aforesaid then in his absence ,open and examine the postal article.The
officer incharge of the post office shall call into two respectable persons as
witness before he opens the postal article ,in the absence of the addresse or his
agent.
Secondly in all cases ,a postal article after being opened under this section ,shall
be delivered to the addresse ,unless it is required for any further proceeding
under this or any other law,and that the opening of the postal article and the
circumstances connected therewith shall be immediately reported to the post
master general.

5. INDIAN POST OFFICE ACT,1898
24(b) The Central government by general or special order empower
any officer of the post office ,specified in such order to deliver any
postal article ,received from beyond the limits of India and
suspected to contain anything liable to such custom authority who
shall deal with such article in accordance with the provisions of the
Sea –Customs Act,1878
26.On the occurrence of any public emergency or with the interest
of public safety or tranquility the central government or state
government or any officer specially authorized in this behalf ,may by
order in writing ,direct that a postal article in course of transmission
by post be intercepted or detained or shall be disposed of in such a
manner as the authority issuing the order may direct.

6. INDIAN POST OFFICE ACT,1898
27(a)Newspapers printed and published in India without
conforming to the rules laid down in PRB Act ,1867 shall not be
transmitted by post.
(b)Any officer of the post office authorized by the Post master
general in his behalf ,may detain any postal article in course of
transmission by post,if he suspects to contain –
1.Any newspaper as defined in PRB ,1867,edited printed or
published otherwise than in conformity with the rules laid down in
the Act.
2.Any documents including paintings,drawings or photographs or
other visible representations containing any seditious matter.
3.Any officer detaining any postal article under the above provision
,shall forthwith send by post to the addressee ,a notice stating the
fact of such detention.

7. INDIAN POST OFFICE ACT,1898
(4) The state government shall cause the contents of any postal
article detained to be examined ,and if necessary pass orders to the
disposal of the article. Any person interested in any article detained
may withdraw 2 months from the date of such detention apply to
the state government for the release of the same and the
government shall consider such applications and pass such orders
therein . If such an application is rejected, the applicant may within
two months from the date of order rejecting to the application ,
apply to the high court.
(61)Whoever in contravention to the provisions ,sends or tenders
or makes over in order to be sent by post any postal article or
anything ,shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which
may extend to 2 yrs or with fine or both.