84. Service of notice.-

(1) Notice under the Act or under these rules shall be served by one of the following methods :-

(a) by delivery by hand of a copy of the notice to the addressee or to any other agent duly authorised in this behalf by him or to a person regularly employed by him in connection with the business in respect of which he is registered as a dealer, or to any adult male member of his family residing with the dealer.

(b) by post; provided that if upon an attempt having been made to serve any such notice by either of the above said methods, the authority concerned has reasonable grounds to believe that the addressee is evading the service of notice or that, for any other reason which in the opinion of such authority is sufficient that notice cannot be served by any of the above-mentioned methods, the said authority shall after recording the reasons therefore cause the notice to be served by affixing a copy thereof –

(i) if the addressee is a dealer, on some conspicuous part of the dealer's office or the building in which the dealer's office is located, or upon some conspicuous part of the place of the dealer's business last intimated to the said authority by the dealer or of the place where the dealer is known to have last carried on business; or

(ii) if the addressee is not a dealer, on some conspicuous part of his residence or office or the building in which his residence or office is located and such service shall be deemed to be as factual as if it has been made on the addressee personally:

Provided further that, where the officer, at whose instance the notice is to be served is on enquiry satisfied that the said office, building, place or residence is known not to exist or is not traceable, such officer may by order in writing dispense with the requirement of service of the notice under the last preceding proviso.

(2) When the officer serving a notice delivers or tenders a copy of the notice to the dealer or addressee personally or to his agent or to any of the persons referred to in clause (a) of sub-rule (1) he shall require the signature of the person to whom the copy is so delivered or tendered to an acknowledgement of service endorsed on the original notice. When the notice is served by affixing a copy thereof in accordance with the first proviso to sub-rule (b) the officer serving it shall return the original to the authority which issued the notice with a report endorsed thereon or annexed thereto, stating that he so affixed the copy, the circumstances under which he did so and the name and address or the person if any, by whom the addressee's office or residence or the building in which his office or residence is located or his place of business was identified and in whose presence the copy was affixed. The said officer shall also obtain the signature or thumb-impression of the person identifying the addressee's residence or office or building or place of business to his report.

(3) When service is made by post, the service shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing or preparing the notice and posting it by registered post with acknowledgement due, and unless the contrary is proved, the service shall be deemed to have been effected at the time at which the notice would be delivered in the ordinary course of posts.