The Guardian and Wards Act, 1890: - CHAPTER I Preliminary
The Guardian and Wards Act, 1890: - CHAPTER I Preliminary
The Guardian and Wards Act, 1890: - CHAPTER I Preliminary
- CHAPTER I Preliminary
1. Title, extent and commencement. (1) This Act may be called the Guardians and
Wards Act, 1890.
(2) It extends to the whole of Pakistan; and.
(3) It shall come into force on the first day of July, 1890.
[2. Repealed : [Rep by the Repealing Act, 1938 (1 of 1938), S. 2 and Schedule.]
3. Saving of jurisdiction of Courts of Wards and Chartered High Courts. This Act
shall be read subject to every enactment heretofore or hereafter passed relating to
any Court of Wards by any competent Legislature, authority or person in Pakistan,
and nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect, or in any way derogate from, the
jurisdiction or authority of any Court of Wards, or to take away any power
possessed by any High Court.
(ii) in any matter relating to the person of the ward, the District Court having
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jurisdiction in the place where the ward for the time being ordinarily resides; or
(c) in respect of any proceeding transferred under Section 4-A, the Court of the
officer to whom such proceeding has been transferred.
(6) 'Collector' means the Chief officer incharge of the revenue-administration of a
district, and includes any officer whom the Provincial Government, by notification
in the official Gazette, may by name or in virtue of his office, appoint to be
Collector in any local area, or with respect to any class of persons, for all or any of
purposes of this Act;
(7) 'European British subject'. [Omitted by the Federal Laws (Revision and
Declaration) Ordinance, XXVII of 1981} ;
(8) 'prescribed' means prescribed by rules made by the High Court under this Act.
6. Saving of power to appoint in other cases. In the case of a minor who is not a
European British subject, nothing in this Act shall be construed to take away or
derogate from any power to appoint a guardian of his person or property, or both,
which is valid by the law to which the minor is subject.
7. Power of the Court to make order as to guardianship. (1) Where the Court is
satisfied that it is for the welfare of a minor that order should be made:-
(a) appointing a guardian of his person or property, or both; or
(b) declaring a person to .be such a guardian, the Court may make an order
accordingly.
(2) An order under this section shall imply the removal of any guardian who has
not been appointed by will or other instrument or appointed or declared by the
Court.
(3) Where a guardian has been appointed by will or other instrument, or appointed
or declared by the Court, an order under this section appointing or declaring
another person to be guardian in his stead shall not be made until the powers of the
guardian appointed or declared as aforesaid have ceased under the provisions of
this Act.
8. Persons entitled to apply for order. An order shall not be made under the last
foregoing Section except on the application of:-
(a) the person desirous of being, or claiming to be, the guardian of the minor; or
(b) any relative or friend of the minor; or
(c) the Collector of the District or other local area within which the minor
ordinarily resides or in which he has property; or
(d) the Collector having authority with respect to the class to which the minor
belongs.
(2) If the application is with respect to the guardianship of the property of the
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minor, it may be made either to the District Court having jurisdiction in the place
where the minor ordinarily resides or to a District Court having jurisdiction in a
place where he has property.
(3) If an application with respect to guardianship of the property of a minor is
made to a District Court other than that having jurisdiction in the place where the
minor ordinarily resides, the Court may return the application if in its opinion the
application would be disposed of more justly or conveniently by any other District
Court having jurisdiction.
10. Form of application. (1) If the application is not made by the Collector, it shall
be by petition signed and verified in manner prescribed by the Code of Civil
Procedure 1908 (Act V of 1908) for the signing and verification of a plaint, and
stating, so far as can be ascertained-
(a) the name, sex, religion, date of birth and ordinary residence of the minor;
(b) where the minor is a female, whether she is married, and, if so, the name and
age of her husband;
(c) the nature, situation and approximate value of the property, if any, of the minor;
(d) the name and residence of the person having the custody or possession of the
person or property of the minor;
(e) what near relations the minor has, and where they reside;
(f) whether a guardian of the person or property, or both, of the minor has been
appointed by any person entitled or claiming to be entitled by the law to which the
minor is subject to make such an appointment ;
(g) whether an application has at any time been made to the Court or to any other
Court with respect to the guardianship of the person or property, or both, of the
minor, and, if so, when, to what Court and with what result;
(h) whether the application is for the appointment or declaration of a guardian of
the person of the minor, or his property, or of both;
(i) where the application is to appoint a guardian, the qualifications of the proposed
guardian ;
(j) where the application is to declare a person to be a guardian, the grounds on
which that person claims;
(k) the causes which have led to the making of the application; and
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(l) such other particulars, if any, as may be prescribed or as the nature of the
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application renders it necessary to state.
(2) If the application is made by the Collector, it shall be by letter addressed to the
Court and forwarded by post or in such other manner as may be found convenient,
and shall state as far as possible the particulars mentioned in sub-section (1).
(3) The application must be accompanied by a declaration of the willingness of the
proposed guardian to act and the declaration must be signed by him and attested by
at least two witnesses.
11. Procedure on admission of application. (1) If the Court is satisfied that there is
ground for proceeding on the application, it shall fix a day for the hearing thereof,
and cause notice of the application and of the date fixed for hearing:
(a) to be served in the manner directed in the Code of Civil Procedure 1908 (Act V
of 1908), on-
(i) the parents of the minor if they are residing in Pakistan;
(ii) the person, if any, named in the petition or letter as having the custody or
possession of the person or property of the minor;
(iii) the person proposed in the application or letter to be appointed or declared
guardian, unless that person is himself the applicant; and
(iv) any other person to whom, in the opinion of the Court, special notice of the
application should be given; and
(b) to be pasted on some conspicuous part of the Court-house and of the residence
of the minor, and otherwise published in such manner as the Court, subject to any
rules made by the High Court under this Act, thinks fit.
(2) The Provincial Government may, by general or special order, require that,
when any part of the property described in a petition under section 10, sub-section
(1), is land of which a Court of Wards could assume the superintendence, the
Court shall also cause a notice as aforesaid to be served on the Collector in whose
District the minor ordinarily resides, and on every Collector in whose district any
portion of the land is situate, and the Collector may cause the notice to be
published in any manner he deems fit.
(3) No charge shall be made by the Court or the Collector for the service or
publication of any notice served or published under sub-section (2).
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12. Power to make interlocutory order for production of minor and interim
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protection of person and property. (1) The Court may direct that the person, if any,
having the custody of the minor shall produce him or cause him to be produced at
such place and time and before such person as it appoints, and may make such
order for the temporary custody and protection of the person or property of the
minor as it thinks proper.
(2) If the minor is a female who ought not to be compelled to appear in public, the
direction under sub-section (1) for her production shall require her to be produced
in accordance with the customs and manners of the country.
(3) Nothing in this section shall authorise:-
(a) the Court to place a female minor in the temporary custody of a person
claiming to be her guardian on the, ground of his being her husband, unless she is
already in his custody with the consent of her parents, if any; or
(b) any person to whom the temporary custody and protection of the property of a
minor is entrusted to dispossess otherwise than by due course of law any person in
possession of any of the property.
13. Hearing of evidence before making of order. On the day fixed for the hearing
of the application, or as soon
after words as may be, the Court shall hear such evidence as may be adduced in
support of or in opposition to the application.
15. Appointment or declaration of several guardians. (1) If the law to which the
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minor is subject admits of this having two of more joint guardians of his person or
property, or both, the Court may, if it thinks fit, appoint or declare them.
(2) & (3) Omitted by the Federal Laws (Revision and Declaration) Ordinance,
XXVII of 1981.
(4) Separate guardians may be, appointed or declared of the person and of the
property of a minor.
(5) If a minor has several properties, .the Court may, if it thinks tit, appoint or
declare separate guardian for any one or more of the properties.
is appointed or, declared by the Court in virtue of his office to be guardian of the
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person or property, or both. of a minor, the order appointing or declaring him shall
be deemed to authorise and require the person for time being holding the office to
act as guardian of the minor with respect to his person or property, or both, as the
case may be.
19. Guardian not to be appointed by the Court in certain cases. Nothing in this
Chapter shall authorise the Court to appoint or declare a guardian of the property
of minor whose property is under the superintendence of a Court of Wards or to
appoint or declare a guardian of the persons.
(a) of a minor who is a married female and whose husband is not, in the opinion of
the Court, unfit to be guardian of her person; or
(b) of a minor whose father is living and is not, in the opinion of the Court unfit to
be guardian of the person of the minor, or
(c) of a minor whose property is under the superintendence of a Court of Wards
competent to appoint a guardian of the person of the minor.
The Guardian and Wards Act, 1890 - CHAPTER III - Duties, Rights and
Liabilities of Guardians
General
20. Fiduciary relation of guardian to ward. (1) A guardian stands in a fiduciary
relation to his wards, and, save as provided by the will 'or other instrument, if any,
by which he was appointed, or by this Act, he must not make any profit out of his
office.
(2) The fiduciary relation of a guardian to his ward extends to and affects
purchases by the guardian of the property of the ward, and by the ward of the
property of the guardian, immediately or soon after the ward has ceased to be a
minor and generally all transactions between them while the influence of the
guardian still lasts or is recent.
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25. Title of guardian to custody of ward. (1) If a ward leaves or is removed from
the custody of a guardian of his person, the Court, if it is of opinion that it will be
for the welfare of the ward to return to the custody of his guardian, may make an
order for his return, and for the purpose of enforcing the order may cause the ward
to be arrested and to be delivered into the custody of the guardian.
(2) For the purpose of arresting the ward, the Court may exercise the power
conferred on a Magistrate of the First Class by Section 100 of the Code of
Criminal Procedure, 1898 (Act V of 1908).
(3) The resident of a ward against the will of his guardian with a person who is not
his guardian does not of itself terminate the guardianship.
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26. Removal of ward from jurisdiction. (1) A guardian of the person appointed or
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declared by the Court, unless he is the Collector or is a guardian appointed by will
or other instrument, shall not without the leave of the Court by which he was
appointed or declared, remove the ward from the limits of its jurisdiction except
for such purposes as may be prescribed.
(2) The leave granted by the Court under sub-section (1) may be special or general,
and may be denied by the order granting it.
Guardian of Property
27. Duties of guardian of property. A guardian of the property of a ward is bound
to deal therewith as carefully as a man of ordinary prudence would deal with it if it
were his own, and, subject to the provisions of this Chapter, he may do all acts
which are reasonable and proper for the realization, protection or benefit of the
property
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28. Power of testamentary guardian. Where a guardian has been appointed by will
or other instrument, his power to mortgage or charge or transfer by sale, gift,
exchange or otherwise, immovable property belonging to his ward is subject to any
restriction which may be imposed by the instrument, unless he has under this Act
been declared guardian and the Court which made the declaration permits him by
an order in writing notwithstanding the restriction, to dispose of any immovable
property, specified in the order in a manner permitted by the order.
31. Practice with respect to permitting transfers under Section 29. (1) Permission
to the guardian to do any of the acts mentioned in Section 29 shall not be granted
by the Court except in case of necessity or for an evident advantage to the ward.
(2) The order granting the permission shall recite the necessity or advantage, as the
case may be, describe the property with respect to which the act permitted is to be
done, and specify such conditions if any, as the Court may see fit to attach to the
permission ; and it shall be recorded, dated and signed by the Judge of the Court,
with his own hand, or, when from any cause he is prevented from recording the
order with his own hand, shall be taken down in writing from his dictation and be
dated and signed by him.
(3) The Court may in its discretion attach to the permission the following among
other conditions, namely : -
(a) that a sale shall not be completed without the sanction of the Court ;
(b) that a sale be made to the highest bidder by public auction, before the Court or
some person specially appointed by the Court for that purpose, at a time and place
to be specified by the Court after such proclamation of the intended sale as the
Court, subject to any rules made under this Act by the High Court, directs ;
(C) that a lease shall not be made in consideration of a premium or shall be made
for such term of years and subject to such rents and covenants as the Court directs ;
(d) that the whole or any part of the proceeds of the act permitted shall be paid into
the Court by the guardian, to be disbursed therefrom or to be invested by the Court
on prescribed securities or to be otherwise, disposed of as the Court directs.
(4) Before granting permission to a guardian to do an act mentioned in Section 29,
the Court may cause notice of the application for the permission to be given to any
relative or friend of the ward who should, in its opinion, receive notice thereof, and
shall bear and record the statement of any person who appears in opposition to the
application.
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33. Right of guardian so appointed or declared to apply to the Court for opinion in
management of property of ward. (1) A guardian appointed or declared by the
Court may apply by petition to the Court which appointed or declared him for its
opinion, advice or direction on any present question respecting the management or
administration of the property of his ward.
(2) If the Court considers the question to be proper for summary disposal, it shall
cause a copy of the petition to be served on, and the hearing thereof may be
attended by, such of the persons intended in the application as the Court thinks fit.
(3) The guardian stating in good faith the facts in the petition and acting upon the
opinion, advice or direction given by the Court shall be deemed, so far as regards
his own responsibility, to have performed his duty as guardian in the subject-
matter of the application.
[34-A. Power to award remuneration for auditing accounts. When accounts are
exhibits by a guardian of the property of a ward in pursuance of a requisition made
under clause (c) of Section 34 or otherwise, the Court may appoint a person to
audit the accounts, and may direct that remuneration for the work be paid out of
the income of the property.]
35. Suit against guardian where administration bond was taken. Where a guardian
appointed or declared by the Court has given a bond duly to account for what he
may receive in respect of the property of his ward, the Court may, on application
made by petition and on being satisfied that the engagement of the bond has not
been kept, and upon such terms as to security or providing that any money
received be paid into the Court, or otherwise as the Court thinks fit assign the bond
to some proper person, who shall thereupon be entitled to sue on the bond in his
own name as if the bond has been originally given to him instead of to the Judge of
the Court, and shall be entitled to recover thereon as trustee for the ward, in respect
of any breach thereof.
36. Suit against guardians where administration bond was not taken. (1) Where a
guardian appointed or declared by the Court has not given a bond as aforesaid, any
person with the leave of the Court, may as, next friend, at any time during the
continuance of the minority of the ward, and upon such terms as aforesaid, institute
a suit against the guardian, or, in case of his death, against his representative, for
an account of what the guardian has received in respect of the property of the
ward, and may recover in the suit, as trustee for the ward, such amount as may be
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found to be payable by the guardian or his representative, as the case may be.
(2) Omitted by the Federal Laws [Revision and Declaration) Ordinance XXVII of
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1981].
37. General liability of guardian and trustee. Nothing in either of the two last
foregoing sections shall be construed to deprive a ward or his representative of any
remedy' against his guardian, or the representative of the guardian, which not being
expressly provided in either of these sections any other beneficiary or his
representative would have against his trustee or representative of the trustee.
38. Right of survivorship among joint guardians. On the death of one of two or
more joint guardians, the guardianship continues to the survivor or survivors until
a further appointment is made by the Court.
39. Removal of guardian. The Court may on the application of any person
interested, or of its own motion, remove a guardian appointed or declared by the
Court, or a guardian appointed by will or other instrument, for any of the following
causes, namely :-
(a) for abuse of his trust;
(b) for continued failure to perform the duties of his trust ;
(c) for incapacity to perform the duties of his trust;
(d) for ill-treatment, or neglect to take proper care, of his ward;
(e) for contumacious disregard of any provision of his Act or of any order of the
Court ;
(f) for conviction of an offence implying, in the opinion of the Court, defect of
character which unfits him to be the guardian of his ward ;
(g) for having an interest adverse to the faithful performance of his duties ;
(h) for ceasing to reside within the local limits of the jurisdiction of the Court ;
(i) in the case of a guardian of the property for bankruptcy or insolvency ;
(j) by reason of the guardianship of the guardian ceasing, or being liable to cease,
under the law to which the minor is subject :
Provided that a guardian appointed by will or other instrument, whether he has
been declared under this Act or not shall not be removed-
(a) for the cause mentioned in clause (g) unless the adverse interest accrued after
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the death of the person who appointed him, or it is shown that person made and
maintained the appointment in ignorance of the adverse interest ; or
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(b) for the cause mentioned in clause (h) unless such guardian has taken up such a
residence as in the opinion of the Court, renders it impracticable for him to
discharge the functions of guardian.
41. Cessation of authority of guardian. (1) The powers of a guardian of the person
cease :-
(a) by his death, removal of discharge ;
(b) by the Court of Wards assuming superintendence of the person of the ward ;
(c) by the ward ceasing to be a minor ;
(d) in the case of a female ward, by her marriage to a husband who is not unfit to
be guardian of her person or, if the guardian was appointed or declared by the
Court, by her marriage to husband who is not, in the opinion of the Court, so unfit ;
or
(e) in the case of a ward whose father was unfit to be guardian of the person of the
ward by the father ceasing to be so or, if the father was deemed by the Court to be
so unfit, by his ceasing to be so in the opinion of the Court.
(2) The powers of a guardian of the property cease :-
(a) by his death, removal or discharge ;
(b) by the Court of Wards assuming superintendence of the property of the ward ;
or
(c) by the ward ceasing to be a minor.
(3) When for any cause the powers of a guardian cease the Court may require him
or, if he is dead, his representative to deliver as it directs any property in his
possession or control belonging to the ward of any accounts in his possession or
control relating to any past or present property of the ward.
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(4) When he has delivered the property or accounts as required by the Court, the
Court may declare him to be discharged from his liabilities save as fraud which
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may subsequently be discovered.
(5) Except in a case under sub-section (2), nothing in the section shall apply to a
Collector who is, as such, a guardian.
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44. Penalty for removal of ward from jurisdiction. If, for the purpose or with the
effect of preventing the Court from exercising its authority with respect to a ward,
a guardian appointed or declared by the Court removes the ward from the limits of
the jurisdiction of the Court in contravention of the provisions of Section 6, he
shall be liable, by order of the Court to fine not exceeding one thousand rupees, or
to imprisonment in the civil jail for a term which may extend to six months.
46. Reports by Collectors and Subordinate Courts. (1) The Court may call upon the
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Collector, or upon any Court subordinate to the Court, for a report on any matter
arising in any proceeding under this Act and treat the report as evidence.
(2) For the purpose of preparing the report the Collector or the Judge of the
Subordinate Court, as the case may be, shall make such inquiry as he deems
necessary, and may for the purposes of the inquiry exercise any power of
compelling the attendance of a witness to give evidence 'or produce a document
which is conferred on a Court by the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Act V of
1908).
47. Orders appealable. An appeal shall lie to the High Court from an order made
by a Court :-
(a) under Section 7, appointing or declaring to appoint or declare a guardian ; or
(b) under Section 9, sub-section (3), returning an application ; or
(c) under Section 25, making or refusing to make an order for the return of a ward
to the custody and of his guardian ; or
(d) under Section 26, refusing leave for the removal of a ward from the limits of
the jurisdiction of the Court, or imposing conditions with respect thereto ; or
(e) under Section 28 or Section 29, refusing permission to a guardian to do an act
referred to in the section; or
(f) under Section 32 defining, restricting or extending the powers of a guardian ; or
(g) under Section 39 removing a guardian ; or
(h) under Section 42, refusing to discharge a guardian ; or
(i) under Section 43, regulating the conduct or proceedings of a guardian or
settling a matter in difference between joint guardians, or enforcing the order ; or
(j) under Section 44, imposing a penalty:
[Provided that, where the order from which an appeal is preferred is passed by an
officer subordinate to a District Court, the appeal shall lie to the District Court'.
48. Finality of other orders. Save as provided by the last foregoing section and by
Section 622 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Act V of 1908) an order made
under this Act shall be final, and shall not be liable to be contested by suit or
otherwise.
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49. Costs. The costs of any proceeding under this Act, including the costs of
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maintaining a guardian or other person in the civil jail shall, subject to any rules
made by the High Court under this Act, be in the discretion of the Court in which
the proceeding is had.
50. Power to High Court to make rules. (1) In addition to any other power to make
rules conferred expressly or impliedly by this Act, the High Court may from time
to time make rules consistent with this Act :-
(a) as to the matters respecting which, and the time at which, reports should be
called for from Collectors and subordinate Courts ;
(b) as to the allowances to be granted to, and the security to be required from,
guardians, and the cases in which such allowances should be granted ;
(c) as to the procedure to be followed with respect to applications of guardians for
permission to do acts referred to in Sections 28 and 29 ;
(d) as to the circumstances in which such requisitions as are mentioned in clauses
(a), (b), (c) and (d) of Section 34 should be made ;
(e) as to the preservation of statements and accounts delivered and exhibited by
guardians
(f) as to the inspection of those statements and accounts by persons interested ;
(ff) as to the audit of accounts under Section 34-A, the class of persons who should
be appointed to audit accounts, and the scales of remuneration to be granted to
them ;
(g) as to the custody of money and securities for money belonging to wards ;
(h) as to the securities on which money belonging to wards may be invested ;
(i) as to the education of wards for whom guardians, not being Collectors, have
been appointed or declared by the Court ; and
(j) generally, for the guidance of the Courts in carrying out the purposes of this
Act.
(2) Rules under clauses (a) and (i) of sub-section (1) shall not have effect until they
have been approved by the Provincial Government, nor shall any rule under this
section have effect until it has been published in the official Gazette.
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