1. Short title and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Scheduled Areas (Assimilation
of Laws) Act, 1953.
(2) It shall come into force on such date1
as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.—In this Act,—
(a) “appointed day” means the date appointed under sub-section (2) of section 1 for the coming
into force of this Act;
(b) “law” means so much of any Act, Ordinance, Regulation, rule, order or bye-law as relates to
any of the matters enumerated in Lists I and III in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution.
(c) “scheduled areas” mean the areas specified in the Schedule.
3. Assimilation of laws.—(1) All laws which immediately before the appointed day extend to, or are
in force in, the scheduled areas shall on that day cease to be in force in the scheduled areas except as
respects things done or omitted to be done before that day, and for the removal of doubts, it is hereby
declared that section 6 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 (10 of 1897) shall apply in relation to such cesser
as it applies in relation to the repeal of an enactment by a Central Act.
(2) All laws which immediately before the appointed day extend to, or are in force in, the district of
Nowgong in the State of Assam shall as from that day extend to, or, as the case may be, come into force
in, the areas specified in paragraph 1 of the Schedule.
(3) All laws which immediately before the appointed day extend to, or are in force in, the district of
Sibsagar in the State of Assam shall as from that day extend to, or, as the case may be, come into force in,
the areas specified in paragraph 2 of the Schedule.
4. Transitional provisions.—Notwithstanding anything contained in section 3, the Central
Government or the Government of the State of Assam may, by order, direct that during such period, not
exceeding twelve months from the appointed day, as may be specified in the order, any law which
immediately before the appointed day was in force in the scheduled areas, shall be deemed to have
continued to be in force therein or any specified part thereof, and may further likewise direct that any law
which would have extended to, or come into force in, the scheduled areas on the appointed day, shall not
be deemed to have extended thereto or come into force therein or any specified part thereof.
5. Savings.—Notwithstanding anything contained in section 3, all suits, cases and other legal
proceedings between parties all of whom belong to the Scheduled Tribes specified in item 2 of Part
I—Assam, of the Schedule annexed to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 or such other
tribe or tribes, as may be specified in this behalf, shall be tried and continue to be tried under the Rules for
1. 1st September, 1953, vide notification No. S. R.O. 1624, dated 26th August, 1953, see Gazette of India, Part II, s. 3.
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the Administration of Justice and Police in the Sibsagar and Nowgong Mikir Hills Tracts as if this Act has
not been passed.
6. Provision for removal of difficulties.—If any difficulty arises in relation to the transition under
section 3 from one law or group of laws to another law or group of laws, the Central Government may, by
order notified in the Official Gazette, make such provision as it considers necessary for the removal of the
difficulty.