Section 11 in Andhra Pradesh Excheats and Bona Vacantia Act, 1974
11. Procedure for declaring property to be escheat or bona vacantia.
(1)As soon as may be after the property is taken into his custody under Section 9, the local officer shall publish a notice in such manner as may be prescribed, calling upon the persons who may have any claim to such property to prefer their claims to such property in the prescribed form within three months from the date of publication of the notice.(2)If no claim is prefered within the said period of three months, the local officer shall declare the property in respect of which the notice is published under subsection (1) to be an escheat or a bona vacantia , as the case may be, and dispose it of in such manner as may be prescribed.(3)(a)If any person prefers a claim within the said period of three months, the local officer shall refer the claim to the court for its decision as to whether or not the person making the claim is entitled to the property: and the court shall, after giving a notice to the local officer and to the claimant, decide the reference, as if it were a suit;(b)Where the court decides that the property taken into custody under Section 9 or any part thereof fully belongs to the claimant, the local officer shall deliver the same to him and where the court decides that it does not belong to the claimant, the court shall declare the property to be an escheat or a bona vacantia , as the case may be.
