Section 24 · Power of Court to declare transfer purporting to be sale to be in nature of mortgage

(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any law, custom or contract, whenever it is alleged during the course of the hearing of an application made under section 4 that any transfer of land by a person whose debts are being adjusted under this Act or any other person through whom he inherited it was a transfer in the nature of a mortgage; the Court shall declare the transfer to be a mortgage, if the Court is satisfied that the circumstances connected with that transfer showed it to be in the nature of a mortgage.

(2) Any agricultural labourer may make an application before the 1^st August 1947 to the Court that any transfer of land by him or any other person through whom he inherited it was a transfer in the nature of a mortgage. On hearing the application, the Court shall, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any law, custom, or contract, declare the transfer to be a mortgage, if it is satisfied that the circumstances connected with the transfer showed it to be in the nature of a mortgage. When the Court makes any such declaration, the applicant shall, notwithstanding anything contained in the definition of "debtor" in sub-section (5) of section 2, be deemed to be a debtor for the purposes of this act and the Court shall proceed as if an application under section 4 had been made to it.