4Interpretation-clause.

In this Act, unless there is something repugnant in the subject or context, —
(1) “Assistant Commissioner” includes also “Extra Assistant Commissioner”:
(2) “ Legal practitioner” means an advocate, vakil or attorney of any High Court, a pleader, mukhtar or revenue-agent:
(3) “Village-cess” means any cess which a person resident or holding lands in a village pays or renders to the proprietors as such of the village, and includes service rendered or things furnished as well as money paid:
(4) “Recognized agent” means a person authorized in writing by any party to a proceeding under this Act to make appearances and applications and to do other acts on his behalf in such proceeding and also belonging to any class which the Chief Commissioner may, from time to time, by notification in the official Gazette, declare in this behalf:
(5) “Agricultural year means the year commencing on the first day of June, or on such other date as the Chief Commissioner may, in the case of any specified district or districts, from time to time, appoint:
(6) “ Sir-land” means (a) land recorded as “sir” in the papers of the last preceding settlement of the local area in which such land is situate; and (b) land not so recorded, but which has been cultivated by the proprietor or one of the proprietors thereof for a period of not less than twelve consecutive years; and (c) waste land which has been broken up by the proprietor or one of the proprietors thereof and cultivated by him for a period of not less than six consecutive years; and (d) in Sambalpur, includes also “ bhogra” land.
Explanation.—Land which has, after the date of such settlement, or the expiry of such period of twelve years, or six years (as the case may be), been for a period of six consecutive years unoccupied by such proprietor is not sir-land. Land is not unoccupied by the proprietor when it is leased out by him with an express reservation of his sir-rights:
(7) “Mahal” means any local area held under a separate engagement for the payment of the land-revenue direct to Government, and Includes also any local area declared, under the provisions of this Act, to be a mahal:
(8) “Village” includes any tract of land which, at the last settlement of such land, has been recognized as a village, or which the Chief Commissioner may, from time to time, declare to be a village for the purposes of this Act:
(9) “Malguzar” means a person who, under the provisions of this Act, has accepted, or is to be deemed to have accepted, the assessment of a mahal, and includes his representatives and assigns; and also any person with whom a settlement has been made before this Act comes into force, and his representatives and assigns:
(10) “Malik-makbuza” means any person owning one or more plots of land assessed with revenue in a mahal; but it does not include a malguzar or inferior proprietor:
(11) “Lambardar” means a person appointed in manner prescribed by this Act to represent the proprietary body of a mahal in its relations with the Government:
(12) “Sub-lambardar” means a person so appointed to represent the inferior proprietary body of a mahal in its relations with the superior proprietors:
(13) “Mukaddam” means the executive headman of a village, appointed in manner prescribed by this Act:
(14) “Tenant” means a person who holds land of another person, and is, or but for a special contract would be, liable to pay rent for such land to such other person; but it does not include a farmer, mortgagee or the kadar of proprietary rights.
Explanation.—An inferior proprietor is not, as such, a tenant:
(15) “Rent” means whatever is paid, delivered or rendered, in money, kind or service, by a tenant on account of the use or occupation of land let to him:
(16) “Absolute occupancy-tenant” means, in reference to any land, a tenant who, at a settlement of such land made before this Act comes into force, or after such a settlement but before this Act comes into force, was recorded, by order of a Revenue or Settlement-officer, in respect of such land, as an “absolute occupancy-raiyat,” or in terms equivalent thereto:
(17) “Record-of-rights” includes the supplementary administration-paper prepared at or after the time of making a settlement before this Act comes into force.