Madras High Court File photo | Express
Tamil Nadu

If addressee is dead, postal dept can hand over articles to legal heirs: Madras Court

On Mohan Ramaswami’s plea, court examined Post Office Regulation 51 after posts sent to her late husband were returned to senders.

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Stressing the need for amending the Post Office Regulations, 2024, with respect to the posts sent to persons, who died during the course, the Madras High Court has directed the postal department to hand over such posts to the legal heirs staying at the residence where the receiver had lived.

The order was passed on a plea by Mohan Ramaswami of Chennai seeking the court to declare the Regulation 51 of the Post Office Regulations, 2024 ultra vires and in conflict with Regulation 65 (1) (c) as she was aggrieved over the department returning the posts sent to her late husband back to the senders.

The respondent department shall do well to take required steps either by amending the regulation to define the category of persons to whom the items could be delivered, said the first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan in a recent order.

“Till such amendment in regulation is made, it is directed that the legal heirs of the deceased, if they are found at the deceased’s residence, shall be handed over the delivery of article, as they would fall in the category of persons to whom the items could be delivered,” it said.

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