PUNJAB BOARD OF REVENUE ACT, 1957

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THE PUNJAB BOARD OF REVENUE ACT, 1957 
(XI of 1957) 
CONTENTS 
1. Short title, extent and commencement 
2. Definitions 
3. Constitution of a Board of Revenue 
4. Superintendence and control of Revenue Officers and Revenue Courts 
5. Powers of the Board 
6. Conduct of Business 
7. Revision of orders by the Board 
8. Review of orders by the Board 
9. Power to make rules 
10. Savings and validation 
11. Repeal of West Pak istan Ordinance XII of 1956 and continuance of 
action taken thereunder 
 
 
TEXT 
1
THE 
2
[PUNJAB] BOARD OF REVENUE ACT, 1957 
(XI of 1957) 
[28 February 1957] 
An 
Act 
to provide for the constitution of a Board of Revenue for 
3
[the Punjab]. 
Preamble.– WHEREAS it is expedient to provide for the constitution of a Board of 
Revenue for 
4
[the Punjab]; 
 It is hereby enacted as follows:– 
1. Short title, extent and commencement .– (1) This Act may be called the 
5
[Punjab] Board of Revenue Act, 1957. 
 
6
[(2) It extends to the  whole of the Province of 
7
[the Punjab], except the 
Tribal Areas.] 
 (3) It shall be deemed to have come into force on and from the 14 th day of 
October, 1955. 
2. Definitions.– Unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context– 
(i) “Board” means the Board of Revenue established under this Act; 
(ii) “Government” means the Government of 
8
[the Punjab]; and 
(iii) “Member” means a member of the Board of Revenue established 
under this Act. 
3. Constitution of a Board of Revenue .– (1) There shall be a Boar d of 
Revenue for 
9
[the Punjab] which shall consist of such Members as may be appointed 
by the Government from time to time. 
                                                           
1This Act was passed by the West Pakistan Assembly on Feb ruary 6, 1957, assented to by the Governor of West Pakistan on 
February 23, 1957, and published in the Gazette of West Pakistan (Extraordinary), dated February 28, 1957, pp. 363-367. 
2Substituted for the words “West Pakistan” by the Punjab Laws (Adaptation) Order, 1974 (I of 1974), (w.e.f. August 14, 1973), 
published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated November 20, 1974, pp. 1425-A-1425-PP, Article 2 read with Schedule, 
Part III, Entry No. 3. 
3Ibid. 
4Ibid. 
5Ibid. 
6Substituted by the West Pakistan Laws (Extension to Karachi) Ordinance, 1964 (VII of 1964), published in the Gazette of West 
Pakistan (Extraordinary), dated May 25, 1964, pp. 1679-1688, s. 2 read with Schedule. 
7Substituted for the words “West Pakistan” by the Punjab Laws (Adaptation) Order, 1974 (I of 1974), (w.e.f. August 14, 1973), 
published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated November 20, 1974, pp. 1425-A-1425-PP, Article 2 read with Schedule, 
Part III, Entry No. 3. 
8Ibid. 
9Ibid. 
 (2) The Government may, whenever considered necessary or expedient, 
appoint or remove a Member. 
4. Superintendence and control of Revenue Officers and Revenue Courts.– 
(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other law for the time 
being in force, but subject to the provisions of sub -section (2), and to any orders of 
the Government with respect to the appointments  and conditions of service of 
Revenue Officers, the general superintendence and control over all Revenue 
Officers and Revenue Courts in West Pakistan
1
 shall vest in, and all such officers, in 
so far as their functions as Revenue Officers are concerned, sha ll be subordinate to 
the Board. 
 (2) The Board shall be subject to the control of the Government, and in all 
matters, other than those in which the Board exercises appellate and revisional 
jurisdiction, the Government shall have power to issue such directi ons to the Board 
as may be considered necessary or expedient and the Board shall carry out those 
directions. 
5. Powers of the Board .– (1) The Board shall be the controlling authority in all 
matters connected with the administration of land, collection of l and revenue, 
preparation of land records and other matters relating thereto. 
 (2) The Board shall be the highest court of appeal and revision in revenue 
cases in the Province. 
 (3) All proceedings relating to any of the matters referred to in sub -
sections (1) and (2) which, immediately before the date of coming into force of this 
Act, were pending before the final appellate or revisional authority of any Province, 
State or other territory or area which has been included in the Province of West 
Pakistan
2
, shall stand transferred to the Board. 
6. Conduct of Business .– (1) Subject to the approval of the Government, the 
Board may distribute its business amongst its members and may, by rules, regulate 
the procedure of all proceedings before it. 
 (2) Any order made or a decree passed by a Member shall be deemed to 
be the order or decree of the Board. 
 (3) Where in a case which the Members of the Board are required to 
dispose of collectively, in accordance with the rules framed under this Act, there is a 
difference of opinion amongst the Members as to the decision to be given on any 
point:– 
(a) it shall be decided according to the opinion of the majority of Members 
if there is such a majority; and  
(b) if the Members are equally divided the Members shall state the po int 
on which they differ and the case shall then be heard, on that point, 
collectively by those Members who heard it and by another Member, 
and if there is no such Member, by an additional Member to be 
appointed by the Government for the purpose of that ca se, and then 
                                                           
1Now “the Punjab”. 
2Now “the Punjab”. 
the point on which there is the difference of opinion shall be decided 
according to the opinion of the majority of all such Members. 
7. Revision of orders by the Board .– (1) Any order made or a decree passed 
by a Member either on appeal or in revision shall, subject to any order made or 
decree passed under the provisions of sub -sections (2) and (3) of this section and of 
section 8, be final. 
 (2) Any person considering himself aggrieved by an order made or a 
decree passed by a Member, in such c lass of cases as may be specified in the rules 
framed under section 9 of this Act, may apply to the Board for revision of such order 
or decree, and if the Full Board considers that there are sufficient reasons for doing 
so, it may revise that order or decr ee and pass such further order as it may think fit 
after hearing the applicant: 
 Provided that no revision shall lie to the Full Board against an order made or a 
decree passed by a Member in exercise of the revisional jurisdiction. 
Explanation.– “Full Board” shall mean two or more Members of the Board, as may 
be determined by the rules. 
 (3) Every application under sub -section (2) for revision of an order or 
decree shall be made within a period of ninety days from the date of that order or 
decree. 
8. Review of orders by the Board .– (1) Any person considering himself 
aggrieved by a decree passed or order made by the Board and who, from the 
discovery of new and important matter or evidence which, after the exercise of due 
diligence, was not within his knowledg e or could not be produced by him at the time 
when the decree was passed or the order was made, or on account of some mistake 
or error apparent on the face of the record, 
1
[or for any other sufficient reason] 
desires to obtain a review of the decree passed  or order made against him, may 
apply to the Board for a review of judgment and the Board may, after giving notice to 
the parties affected thereby and after hearing them, pass such decree or order as 
the circumstances of the case require. 
 (2) Every application for a review of a decree or order under sub -section 
(1) shall be made within ninety days from the date of that decree or order. 
 
2
[(3) As far as practicable, the application for a review shall be filed before  
the same Member o r Full Board, as the case may be, who or which has passed the 
order or judgment or decree sought to be reviewed. 
 (4) After the final disposal of the first application for review, no subsequent 
application for review shall be entertained.] 
9. Power to make rules .– (1) The Board, may, subject to the prior approval of 
the Government, make rules for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of 
this Act. 
                                                           
1Inserted by the West Pakistan Board of Revenue (Amendment) Act, 1964 (XVIII of 1964), published in the Gazette of West 
Pakistan (Extraordinary), dated April 4, 1964, pp. 1100-A-1100-B, s. 2. 
2Added by the Punjab Board of Revenue (Amendment) Act 2022 (XX of 2022), published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), 
dated September 26, 2022, pp.1011, s.2. 
 (2) Without prejudice to the generality of the power conferred by sub -
section (1), the Board may make rules for all or any  of the following purposes, 
namely:– 
(i) the procedure to be followed in any proceedings taken before a 
Revenue Officer or Court; 
(ii) to prescribe the forms, manner and subject in, or on which any returns 
or information about any cases or class of cases o r proceedings or 
other matters shall be submitted by a Revenue Officer or Court to the 
Board or to any other authority; 
(iii) to prescribe the authorities or the officers by whom any particular cases 
or class of cases generally, or with respect to any part icular locality, 
shall be dealt with; 
(iv) to provide for the territorial and pecuniary limits of jurisdiction of the 
various Revenue Courts; and 
(v) to specify the class of cases in which a revision under sub -section (2) 
of section 7 shall lie to the Board. 
10. Savings and validation .– (1) Notwithstanding the expiry of the West 
Pakistan (Board of Revenue) Ordinance, 1955
1
, everything done, action taken, 
obligation, liability, penalty, or punishment incurred, inquiry or proceedings 
commenced, Member appoint ed or person authorized, jurisdiction or power 
conferred, rules made and order issued under any of the provisions of the said 
Ordinance shall be continued and, so far as may be, be deemed to have been 
respectively done, taken, incurred, commenced, appointe d, authorized, conferred, 
made or issued under this Act. 
 (2) Everything done, action taken, obligation, liability or penalty incurred, 
inquiry or proceedings commenced, Member appointed or person authorized, 
jurisdiction or power conferred, rules made and  order issued after the date of expiry 
of the West Pakistan (Board of Revenue) Ordinance, 1955
2
, and before the 15 th day 
of August, 1956, which could have been done, taken, incurred, commenced, 
appointed, authorized, conferred, made or issued under the sai d Ordinance if it had 
been in force during the said period shall be continued and, so far as may be, be 
deemed to have been respectively done, taken, incurred, commenced, appointed, 
authorized, conferred, made or issued under this Act. 
11. Repeal of West P akistan Ordinance XII of 1956 and continuance of 
action taken thereunder .– (1) The West Pakistan Board of Revenue Ordinance, 
1956
3
, is hereby repealed. 
 (2) Notwithstanding the repeal of the West Pakistan Board of Revenue 
Ordinance, 1956
4
, or any judgment,  decree or order of any Court, Tribunal or other 
Authority, everything done, action taken, obligation, liability or penalty incurred, 
                                                           
1W.P. Ordinance I of 1955. 
2W.P. Ordinance I of 1955. 
3W.P. Ordinance XII of 1956. 
4W.P. Ordinance XII of 1956. 
inquiry or proceedings commenced, Member appointed or person authorized, 
jurisdiction or power conferred, rules made and o rder issued under any of the 
provisions of the said Ordinance, shall be continued and, so far as may be, be 
deemed to have been respectively done, taken, incurred, commenced, appointed, 
authorized, conferred, made or issued under this Act.