Gujarat Land Revenue Code, 1879
If the Collector is disabled from performing his duties or for any reason vacates his office or leaves his district, or dies, his Assistant of highest rank present in the district shall, unless other provision has been made by '[State] Government], succeed temporarily to his office, and shall be held to be the Collector '[] under this Act until the Collector resumes charge of his district or until the '[State] Government], appoints a successor to the former Collector and such successor takes charge of his appointment. An officer whose principal office is different from that of an Assistant Collector, and who is an Assistant Collector for special purposes only, shall not be deemed to be an Assistant for the purposes of this section.