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30. Agency Tracts Interest and Land Transfer Act, 1917 is an Act to regulate rate of interest and transfer of land in agency tracts. Section 2(b) thereof defined the term 'Agent' means 'Agent to the Governor' in the districts of Ganjam and Vizagapatnam and 'Government Agent' in the district of Godavari. Section 4 of 1917 Act prohibited the transfer of immovable property by a Member of hill tribe to a non-tribal person unless the previous consent of the Agent is obtained for such transfer. In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 6 of Scheduled Districts Act, Governor promulgated the A.P. Agency Rules, 1924 (Agency Rules, for brevity). Rule 3 thereof, provided that Collectors and District Magistrates of Agency Districts (under the designation of Agents to Government) shall be the Collectors, District Magistrates and District Judges within the Agency tracts in the respective districts. He was vested with powers of Revenue Courts and the Agency Divisional Officers are vested powers of subordinate revenue Courts. Agent to the Government is also given power to appoint any of his subordinates as Agency Munsiffs to exercise the powers as are vested in the District Munsiffs in the ordinary tracts of the State.

31. In 1949, Andhra (Telangana Tribal Areas) Regulation, 1359F was promulgated to regulate administration of the scheduled areas in the Telangana region. Section 2(a) defines 'Agent' means 'a person appointed by Government to be Agent. It also lays that where no person is appointed as Agent, Collector of the District should be Agent. In exercise of Section 4 thereof, Notified Tribal Areas Rules, 1949, were made by the Government. Rule 2 thereof is to the effect that the administration of a notified tribal area in respect of the matters covered by the Rules is vested in Agent, Assistant Agent and such other officers as Government may deem fit to

4. 1917 Agency Tracts Section 2(b) Agent is defined as 'Agent to Governor' Interest and Land (Definition and 'Government Agent' in Godavari Transfer Act of Agent) Districts.
5. 1924 A.P. Agency Rules Rule 3 (i) The Collector under the designation of Agent exercises powers of District Magistrates and District Judges.

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34. Under various laws, District Collector is under the direct control of the Governor and he acts as an Agent to the Governor. It is also clear that the authority to exercise powers of Agent to Government can also be conferred on such other officers under the overall control of District Collector cum Agent to the Government. By the time Governor of Andhra Pradesh promulgated Regulation I of 1959 in exercise of powers under Paragraph 5(2) of Fifth Schedule, there was considerable law governing scheduled areas. There were also various Rules and Regulations conferring exclusive civil, criminal jurisdiction and revenue administration on the Agent and Agency Courts. This was taken note of and the term 'Agent' is defined in Section 2(b) of Regulation I of 1959 as to mean 'a person designated by the State Government as an Agent to the Government in the Agency Districts'. The said provision reads as under: