Limitation Act, 1908

The appellant, successor to the original mortgagor, filed a suit for redemption of a property mortgaged on 22 May 1886. The suit was filed on 28 December 1968, well after the 60‑year limitation under the Limitation Act, 1908, but the appellant argued that a sale deed dated 1 November 1913 contained an acknowledgment by…

In a money suit based on a mortgage, a consent decree was passed and the decree-holder assigned his interest to Mahadeo Prasad Tibrewalla. After part‑payment, one judgment‑debtor died and his heirs were substituted. A 1953 consent order quantified the debt and prescribed satisfaction by conveyance of mortgaged houses, …

The plaintiffs, Hindus, sued the Sikh defendants for ejectment from two rooms of the southern Dharamshalla of the Martand shrine and for a permanent injunction restraining the defendants from interfering with Hindu religious ceremonies and from holding Dewans in the open space of the shrine. The defendants claimed titl…

The appellant, Sree Durga Distributors, sold dog feed and cat feed and claimed a Nil rate of duty under Entry 5 of the First Schedule of the Karnataka Value Added Tax Act, 2003. The issue was whether these products fell within the category of "animal feed and feed supplements" listed in Entry 5, which provides a Nil ra…

The dispute concerned the ownership of a 7‑acre Naroda Chawl, claimed by the plaintiff Vadilal Modi as part of a partition suit against his siblings and their heirs. Defendant Chandrakantaben (Def. No.6) asserted that the property had been gifted to her in 1946 and that she had acquired title by adverse possession, rel…

The plaintiffs filed a title suit seeking declaration of ownership and possession of certain plots. The trial court decreed in their favour, but the High Court dismissed the suit on the ground that the plaintiffs failed to prove possession within the 12‑year period prescribed by Article 142 of the Limitation Act, 1908,…

The case concerned a suit for possession of ancestral land that had been alienated by a gift deed. The original plaintiff, Mohinder Singh, obtained a declaratory decree in 1963 based on a compromise, but the decree was conditional on the death of the donor, Ujjagar Singh, which occurred in 1971. The decree sheet was fi…

The respondent, K.V. Khader, owned about 250 acres of forest land in Coorg that was originally granted to his ancestors with a patta indicating the timber had been "redeemed" (paid for). In 1918 the entry in the record of rights was altered to "unredeemed" by the Commissioner, leading the State to demand seigniorage be…

The appellant, a former steward of AIIMS, was suspended in 1991 following a FIR for alleged embezzlement and later convicted in 1993 for theft, leading to his removal from service by a memorandum dated 6 January 2000 under Rule 19(i) of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965. After a settlement that resulted in the quashing of the …

Venu filed a suit for partition against Ponnusamy Reddiar and obtained a preliminary decree on 23 November 1959. Thirty years later, on 3 October 1989, Venu applied for the appointment of a court commissioner to execute the preliminary decree. The appellant argued that the application was barred by the three‑year limit…

The appellant, a granddaughter of a non‑redeeming co‑mortgagor, sued for partition and possession of her one‑half share of mortgaged property that had been fully redeemed by the father of the respondents between 1913‑1918. The trial court held the suit was not barred by limitation, but the High Court reversed, applying…

The appellants purchased a 5‑acre plot by two registered sale deeds after the respondents had earlier bought a portion of the same land. They filed a suit for possession claiming title by adverse possession, asserting that they had been in open, continuous and hostile possession for over fifty years. The trial court gr…

Panchu Gopal Bose entered into an arbitration agreement on 27 May 1978 to complete work within nine months. He claimed he sent bills on 12 July 1979 but received no payment, and only on 28 November 1989 did he issue a notice invoking arbitration. The respondent filed an arbitration suit under sections 5, 12 and 33 of t…

Ghasi Ram and others filed a suit under Order 21 Rule 103 CPC to claim possession of land after their objection to an execution order was rejected. Instead of filing the suit, they pursued a civil revision before the High Court, which was entertained and later dismissed. The subsequent suit was barred by limitation, bu…

The appellant, a businessman, was ordered to repay Rs.45,00,000 borrowed from the respondent, but failed to do so, leading to an ex‑parte decree in the respondent's suit. The appellant first sought to set aside the decree via an application under Order IX Rule 13 CPC, which was dismissed, and later filed a first appeal…

The Supreme Court considered two civil appeals filed by former government employees who, after being dismissed, sued for a declaration that their termination was illegal, void, and that they remained in service. The Punjab High Court had held that no limitation period applied to such suits when the dismissal was illega…

The respondents filed a suit for specific performance of an agreement of sale, which the trial court decreed in their favour. The first appellate court dismissed the decree on the ground of limitation, holding that the pendency of a separate suit filed by the defendant's wife and children did not suspend the limitation…

Ramchandra Govardhan Pandit challenged a decision of the Charity Commissioner that his properties were a public trust. After the Commissioner’s order was dismissed by the Commissioner and the City Civil Court under Section 72 of the Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950, Pandit appealed to the Gujarat High Court, which dismis…

The appellants were contesting alienations of immovable property under the Punjab Custom (Power to Contest) Act, 1920, and their suits were at the appellate stage when the Punjab Custom (Power to Contest) Amendment Act, 1973 came into force on 23 January 1973. The High Court dismissed the appeals, holding that after th…

The plaintiffs, heirs of the original mortgagor, sued the heirs of the mortgagee for redemption of a usufructuary mortgage dated 7 September 1935 and for an account of income. The mortgagee had assigned the mortgage to an assignee on 12 February 1954, and the plaintiffs argued that this assignment deed was an acknowled…

The parties obtained a preliminary decree in a partition suit allocating a 1/6th share to the first respondent and a 5/6th share to the appellants. Although the court directed the preparation of a final decree in 1958, the final decree could not be engrossed because the appellants failed to supply non‑judicial stamps. …

The mortgagor, Kala Singh, executed three mortgages on agricultural land in favour of the appellants and later applied to the Collector under Section 4 of the Redemption of Mortgages (Punjab) Act, 1913 for redemption. After a compromise, the Collector ordered redemption under Section 11, but the mortgagor defaulted and…

The deceased plaintiff originally filed a suit in 2011 for declaration of title and injunction over certain immovable properties, which the trial court dismissed despite finding her to be the absolute owner because she was not in possession. After her death, her legal heirs appealed and successfully amended the plaint …

The Andhra Pradesh Wakf Board filed a suit in 1973 to recover possession of a 48½‑cent parcel of land that had been granted as a service Imam plot to the Paish Imam of a mosque and subsequently alienated through several sales. The trial court allowed the suit, but the High Court dismissed it on the ground that the clai…

The Delhi Rent Controller ordered the eviction of tenant Kash! Ram in October 1960 on the ground of the landlord's bona‑fide requirement. The landlord's applications for permission to execute the order under Section 19 of the Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, 1956 were dismissed in 1963, and a second applicat…

Gokak Patel Volkart Ltd challenged a show‑cause notice issued on 20 May 1982 seeking excise duty for the period June 1976 to February 1981, arguing that it was beyond the six‑month limitation under Section 11A of the Central Excises and Salt Act, 1944. The Karnataka High Court had earlier stayed only the collection of …

The appellant obtained a money decree from the Small Causes Court in 1953 and, under Section 39(1)(d) CPC, had it transferred to the Munsif Court for execution. The Munsif Court sold the immovable property in execution of the decree, and the purchaser later sold it to the respondents. The respondents challenged the sal…

The widowed appellant and her daughter claimed arrears of salary for their deceased husband, a tubewell technician who was illegally dismissed in 1954 and later reinstated by the Superintending Engineer in 1955. The trial court and first appellate court held that the employee was entitled to full salary for the period …

The appellants, sons of Nihal Chand, challenged a declaration by the Official Receiver that the insolvent partner Chiranjee Lal held a one‑third share in certain properties. They argued that the Receiver’s 1966 application under Section 4 of the Provincial Insolvency Act was barred by the six‑year limitation period und…

The plaintiff, Rajendra Kumar Gupta, claimed ownership of a 7.60‑acre parcel of land in Mowa village, asserting that he purchased it by a registered sale deed in 1968 and had peacefully possessed it until dispossessed in 1983. The defendants, his cousins, contended that the land was joint Hindu family property, that th…

The plaintiff filed a suit on the last day of limitation against a deceased defendant, Mariappa Gounder, for a promissory note. After learning of the defendant's death, the plaintiff sought to substitute the deceased's heirs as parties. The trial court dismissed the applications, holding the suit barred by limitation, …

Tarsem Singh, invalidated from the Indian Army in 1983, sought disability pension. A single High Court judge in 2000 granted the pension and limited arrears to 38 months before the writ filing. Unsatisfied, Singh appealed, and the High Court Division Bench in 2006 ordered payment of arrears from 1983 (16 years) with 6%…

The Supreme Court considered appeals against a Karnataka High Court decision on the effect of Section 458A of the Companies Act, 1956 on limitation periods in winding‑up proceedings. The issue was whether the provision extends the limitation period for filing claims and, more importantly, whether a claim that was alrea…

The case concerned a suit for redemption of a mortgage executed in 1902 by a widow, Lakshamania, in favour of Ram Charan Sonar. The plaintiff, claiming to be an heir of Lakshamania, filed the suit in 1960 after a series of subsequent mortgages, sales and redemptions involving the property. The trial court and the first…

Govind Rao Harshe mortgaged his house and land, and a decree for sale was obtained by the mortgagees. The property was auctioned on 20 August 1942 and the bid was knocked down in favour of Gopal Rao Mutatkar, who was a member of Sagar Mahila Vidyalaya. The auction sale was confirmed on 10 April 1943 under Order XXI Rul…

Ratan Singh obtained a decree for possession of his property in 1970, but did not file an execution petition. The respondent filed a first appeal, dismissed in 1973, and later a second appeal which the High Court rejected as time‑barred. Ratan Singh later relied on the High Court order to revive the decree and filed an…

The appellant filed a suit in 2001 seeking declaration of title, an injunction and, alternatively, recovery of possession of a property, alleging that the cause of action arose in 1994. The respondents moved an application under Order 7 Rule 11(d) of the CPC to reject the plaint on the ground that the suit was barred b…

M. Durai sued Madhu and others for title to a parcel of land, relying on a sale deed dated 19‑Aug‑1978. The defendants claimed they had acquired title by adverse possession, having occupied the land openly and continuously for more than twelve years. The trial court accepted the defendants' claim and dismissed the suit…

The auction of a judgment-debtor's property was held on 26 July 1985 and the highest bid was accepted. The judgment-debtor deposited the bid amount on 29 August 1985 and filed an application under Order XXI Rule 90 to set aside the sale, followed by another application under Rule 89 on 6 September 1985 with the balance…

Anandilal and others, the original decree‑holders, had obtained a decree against the respondents which was affirmed by the High Court. During the pendency of the appeal, the High Court stayed execution of the decree under Order XLI, r.5 of the CPC, but only the sale of the attached properties was stayed, not the attach…

Syndicate Bank extended various credit facilities to Gadag Forge Fits (India) Pvt Ltd. The company’s directors executed personal continuing guarantees payable on demand. When the company’s accounts became dormant in mid‑1986, the Bank sent a demand letter on 12 Oct 1987 and a formal notice on 17 Dec 1987, to which the …

The assessee paid Uttar Pradesh sales tax on forward contracts that were later held ultra vires by the Supreme Court in Sales Tax Officer, Pilibhit v. Budh Prakash Jai Prakash. After the decision, the assessee sought refund of the tax, but the Sales Tax Officer rejected the claim on the ground of limitation under Artic…

M/S Jupitor Chit Fund (P) Ltd, a chit fund company, sued the legal representatives of Shiv Narain Mehta for recovery of Rs.10,000 after a dispute over non‑payment of instalments. The dispute was referred to an arbitrator, but the award was set aside because the reference to arbitration was improper – no notice was give…

The instant appeals arose from five suits between 1950 and 1989 over a 1500 sq yard land in Ayodhya, claimed by Hindus as the birthplace of Lord Ram (Ram Janmabhumi) and by Muslims as the site of the Babri Masjid. The Allahabad High Court had directed a three-way partition of the disputed site, which the Supreme Court …

The appellants, Khatri Hotels Private Ltd. and another, claimed title and sought an injunction over land they alleged to have purchased. The land had been urbanised under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 and transferred to the Delhi Development Authority (DOA) by notification under the Delhi Development Act, 1…

The plaintiff claimed title to a Delhi property, alleging it was his private property purchased from the Maharaja of Kapurthala, while the Union of India and others contended it was State property of Kapurthala. The Court examined the 1947 Instrument of Accession, the 1948 covenant, and subsequent correspondence, findi…

New India Assurance Co. Ltd. issued two marine insurance policies to cover consignment of computer waste from Antward to Bombay. The vessel was diverted to Muscat due to a port strike and the insurer stipulated that the goods must be re‑shipped within 60 days, otherwise liability would cease. The goods were not re‑ship…

In a partition suit, a house was auctioned and the sale was confirmed by the court on 7 August 1984. The auction purchaser obtained a sale certificate only on 9 November 1989 and filed an application for delivery of possession on the same day. The appellant contended that the application was barred by the one‑year limi…

Muthammal, the absolute owner of certain lands, executed a deed of settlement in 1925 endowing the properties to a family temple and appointed herself as trustee for life. In 1930 she executed a registered deed of cancellation and later alienated the properties, selling them to the father of the appellants. After her d…

Maganlal mortgaged his property to M.P. State Financial Corporation. When the loan defaulted, the corporation invoked Sections 31 and 32 of the State Financial Corporations Act, 1951 to attach and sell the property. The first purchaser (Jaiswal Industries) obtained the sale, which was set aside, re‑sold to a second pur…

The plaintiff filed an unnumbered suit in 1993 for specific performance of a 1991 sale agreement, which was rejected in 1998 for non‑payment of court fees. The plaintiff then filed a second suit in 2007 seeking the same relief, invoking Order VII Rule 13 of the CPC to avoid the effect of the earlier rejection. The defe…

Navaneethammal, the plaintiff, purchased land and sued Arjuna Chetty, the tenant, for declaration of title and recovery of possession. The tenant claimed he had surrendered the lease, re‑entered the land and acquired title by adverse possession, contending that the suit was barred by Article 139 of the Limitation Act. …

The Supreme Court considered a suit under Section 202 of the U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1951 for possession of land on payment of a mortgage money. The mortgage in question was a usufructuary mortgage of an occupancy holding executed in 1869 when the Recovery of Rents (Bengal) Act, 1859 was in force…

The mortgagor (respondent) had mortgaged property to the appellant and, after default, the property was auctioned and the sale was confirmed. The mortgagor filed several applications to set aside the sale and its confirmation, which were dismissed, leading to appeals before the High Court. While those appeals were pend…

The Union of India entered into four construction contracts with L.K. Ahuja & Co., which were completed and final bills were accepted. Later the respondent claimed a balance of Rs 1,91,137 and sought arbitration, but the government replied that no dispute existed. The respondent filed an application under Section 20 of…

Jay Laxmi Salt Works (P) Ltd. sued the State of Gujarat for damages after flood water from a government‑built reclamation bundh entered its factory in July 1956. An official committee assessed the loss at Rs 1,58,735, which the State refused to pay. The trial court dismissed the suit as an act of God and barred it by l…

The landlord claimed the tenant defaulted on rent from March 1994 and filed an eviction suit under the West Bengal Premises Tenancy Act, 1956. The tenant had tendered the March rent twice in April 1994, but the landlord refused to accept it, prompting the tenant to deposit the rent with the Rent Controller and later wi…

The case concerned the ownership of property originally belonging to Ramanna, who died in 1907 leaving a widow Seethamma and a daughter Venkamma. The appellants claimed title based on a 1955 sale deed executed by Jankamma, the granddaughter of Ramanna, while the respondents asserted possession derived from an earlier 1…

The plaintiff, Ajit Chopra (through his legal representative), purchased a property in 1957 subject to pending rent‑control litigation between the vendor and the tenant, Sadhu Ram. The tenant denied any landlord‑tenant relationship and claimed title by adverse possession, leading to a fresh eviction petition in 1969 an…

The appeal concerned a partition suit whose final decree was passed in 1968, followed by a series of appeals and a formal decree dated 30 October 1986. The judgment debtor filed an execution petition in 1997, which the executing court dismissed as barred by limitation. The Supreme Court examined whether the decree beca…

The Wakf instituted suits for recovery of possession of certain properties, which the appellants claimed were private and barred by limitation under Article 134‑B of the Limitation Act, 1908, also pleading adverse possession. The trial court held the properties were Wakf property and barred by limitation; the first app…

The Supreme Court was asked to interpret whether the word "date" in Article 54 of the Schedule to the Limitation Act, 1963 denotes a specific calendar date. The Court examined the meanings of "date" and "fixed" and held that "date fixed for the performance" is a crystallized notion indicating a definite day. It observe…