Section 7 in The West Bengal Relief of Rural Indebtedness Act, 1975
7. Relief to debtors in certain cases.
(1)Notwithstanding anything contained elsewhere in this Act, -(i)in every case in which a debtor is -(a)an agricultural labourer whose total annual income from all sources does not exceed rupees twenty-four hundred, or(b)a marginal farmer whose land is non-irrigated, or(c)an artisan whose total annual income from all sources does not exceed rupees twenty-four hundred,the authority shall pass an order discharging the debt completely and grant him a certificate of discharge in the prescribed form which shall release the debtor from all debts which were or might have been included in the application under section 4,(ii)in every case in which the debtor is a small farmer, or a marginal farmer whose land is irrigated, the authority shall, subject to such, rules as may be made in this behalf, by an order, reduce the debt to such amount as does not exceed twenty per cent, of the estimated gross value of the agricultural produce earned by such debtor in the year preceding the year in which the determination takes place, multiplied by a figure not exceeding seven and shall make a further order that the amount of the debt be repaid in such monthly or annual instalments covering a period not exceeding seven years, either with or without interest, as the authority may determine.(2)Subject to the provisions contained in sub-section (1), in every other case in which an order is made under section 5, the debtor shall repay the debt, with interest, if any in such number of instalments covering, a period not exceeding seven years as may be mentioned in the order.
