Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 · Chapter I: Preliminary
Section 3: Definitions
The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 was repealed by the Telecommunications Act, 2023 (from 26 June 2024; Part III still applies to transmission lines under the Electricity Act, 2003). The text is kept here because the judgments below apply it.
In this Act, unless there is something repugnant in the subject or context,—
[(1) "Fund" means the Universal Service Obligation Fund established undersub-section (1) of section 9A;
(1A) "Universal Service Obligation" means the [obligation to provide access to telegraph services] to people in the rural and remote areas at affordable and reasonable prices;]
[[(1AA) "telegraph" means any appliance, instrument, material or apparatus used or capable of use for transmission or reception of signs, signals, writing, images and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, visual or other electro-magnetic emissions, Radio waves or Hertzian waves, galvanic, electric or magnetic means;
Explanation.—"Radio waves" or "Hertzian waves" means electro-magnetic waves of frequencies lower than 3,000 giga-cycles per second propagated in space without artificial guide:]
(2) "telegraph officer" means any person employed either permanently or temporarily in connection with a telegraph established, maintained or worked by [the Central Government] or by a person licensed under this Act;
(3) "message" means any communication sent by telegraph, or given to a telegraph officer to be sent by telegraph or to be delivered;
(4) "telegraph line" means a wire or wires used for the purpose of a telegraph, with any casing, coating, tube or pipe enclosing the same, and any appliances and apparatus connected therewith for the purpose of fixing or insulating the same;
(5) "post" means a post, pole, standard, stay, strut or other above-ground contrivance for carrying, suspending or supporting a telegraph line;
(6) "telegraph authority" means the Director General of [Posts and Telegraphs], and includes any officer empowered by him to perform all or any of the functions of the telegraph authority under this Act;
(7) "local authority" means any municipal committee, district board, body of port commissioners or other authority legally entitled to, or entrusted by [the Central or any State Government] with, the control or management of any municipal or local fund.
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Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.