Section 83 of the Chit Funds Act, 1982 - Officers to be Public Servants

Section 83 gives statutory public-servant status to the Registrar and to officers appointed by the State Government to perform functions under the Chit Funds Act, 1982.

Text of Section 83

83. Officers to be public servants. - The Registrar and all officers appointed by the State Government to perform any functions under this Act shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

Official text: Chit Funds Act, 1982 - India Code

Meaning and scope of Section 83

The provision identifies the public authorities covered by the statutory deeming rule. It applies to the Registrar and to officers appointed by the State Government for carrying out functions under the Chit Funds Act. When those conditions are satisfied, Section 83 treats such persons as public servants for the purpose stated in the provision.

Who is covered?

The Registrar functioning under the Chit Funds Act, 1982.
Officers appointed by the State Government to perform functions under the Act.
The deeming provision is linked to the statutory office or appointment and the functions performed under the Act.

Reference to the Indian Penal Code and the current criminal law

The enacted text of Section 83, as presently reproduced in the official India Code text of the Chit Funds Act, continues to refer expressly to section 21 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The Indian Penal Code was repealed when the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 came into force on 1 July 2024. The BNS now contains the definition of "public servant" in section 2(28).

Current-law note: Section 83 itself should be quoted as enacted unless and until its text is formally amended. For present-day interpretation of an older statutory reference to a repealed and re-enacted law, the applicable repeal, saving and statutory-construction provisions may also need to be considered in the facts of a particular case.

Official text: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 - India Code

Why Section 83 matters

The provision clarifies the legal status of officials exercising statutory functions under the Chit Funds Act. This is relevant because other laws may attach duties, protections, procedural requirements or liabilities to a person who is legally regarded as a public servant. The precise consequence in any proceeding depends on the law invoked and the facts of that case.

Related provisions

Section 83 appears among the enforcement and administrative provisions near the end of the Act. Readers may also refer to Section 82 - power to enter, search and seize documents, Section 84 - power to delegate, and the Chit Funds Act, 1982 overview.

Updated: 16 September 2026. This page is an informational summary; the official statutory text and applicable amendments should be checked for legal use.