Guardians and Wards Act,1890
4. Definitions
In this Act, unless there is something repugnant in the subject
or context,-
(1) "minor" means a person who , under the provisions of
the Indian Majority Act, 1875 (9 of 1875), is to be deemed not to have attained
his majority;
(2) "guardian" means a person having the care of the
person of a minor or of his property or of both his person and property;
(3) "ward" means a minor for whose person or property
or both there is a guardian;
(4) "District Court" has the meaning assigned to that
expression in the Code of Civil Procedure, 1882 (14 of 1882)7, and includes a
High Court in the exercise of its ordinary original civil jurisdiction;
8[(5) "the court" means-
(a) the District Court having jurisdiction to
entertain an application under this Act for an order appointing or declaring a
person to be a guardian; or
(b) where a guardian has been appointed or
declared in pursuance of any such application-
(i) the court which, or the court of the
officer who, appointed or declared the guardian or is under this Act deemed to
have appointed or declared the guardian; or
(ii) in any matter relating to the person of
the ward the District Court having jurisdiction in the place where the ward for
the time being ordinarily resides; or.
(c) in respect of any proceeding transferred
under section 4A, the court of the officer to whom such proceeding has been
transferred;]
(6) "Collector" means the chief officer in charge of
the revenue administration of a district and includes any officer whom the
State Government, by notification in the Official Gazette may, by name or in
virtue of his office, appoint to be a Collector in any local area or with respect
to any class of persons, for all or any of the purposes of this Act;
9[(7) [* * *]; and
8. "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made by the
High Court under this Act.
4A. Power to confer jurisdiction on subordinate judicial
officers and to transfer proceedings to such officers
(1) The High Court may, by general or special
order, empower any officer exercising original civil jurisdiction subordinate
to a district court, or authorize the Judge of any District Court to empower
any such officer subordinate to him, to dispose of any proceedings under this
Act transferred to such officer under the provisions of this section.
(2) The Judge of a District Court may, by
order in writing, transfer at any stage any proceeding under this Act pending
in his court for disposal to any officer subordinate to him empowered under
sub-section (1).
(3) The Judge of a District Court may at any
stage transfer to his own court or to any officer subordinate to him empowered
under sub-section (1) any proceeding under this Act pending in the court of any
other such officer.
(4) When any proceedings are transferred under
this section in any case in which a guardian has been appointed or declared,
the judge of the District Court may , by order in writing, declare that the
Court of the Judge or officer to whom they are transferred shall, for all or
any of the purposes of this Act, be deemed to be the court which appointed or
declared the guardian.