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Quick Answer
The Limitation Act 1963 is the central statute on time-bar. Schedule I contains 137 articles prescribing different periods for different proceedings: Article 47 (suit on a contract — 3 years from breach); Article 65 (suit for possession of immovable property — 12 years from when possession of defendant becomes adverse); Article 113 (suit for which no period is prescribed — 3 years from accrual of right to sue); Article 136 (execution of decree — 12 years from decree). Section 5 allows condonation of delay for sufficient cause in appeals and applications (not suits). Section 14 excludes time spent prosecuting in wrong court.
Statutory reference
Limitation Act 1963
Limitation is the first question in every civil consultation, because it kills more claims than bad evidence ever does. Money and contract claims die three years from when each invoice or instalment fell due — on a running commercial account, every invoice has its own clock. Possession claims run twelve years; execution of a decree, twelve. Two provisions revive a dying claim: a written, signed acknowledgment of liability before expiry (Section 18) and a part-payment (Section 19) each restart the period — which is why a demand letter that provokes a written 'we will clear the dues' reply is worth more than a year of phone calls. Section 5 condonation of delay exists for appeals and applications, not suits: a time-barred suit is dead however sympathetic the cause, and courts must reject it even if the defendant never raises the point.
Worked example
A Noida vendor holds ₹9 lakh in unpaid invoices against a retail chain, the oldest now two years and ten months old. Before filing, her lawyer sends a demand email; the buyer's accounts head replies confirming the outstanding balance and promising payment 'by next quarter'. That signed acknowledgment resets limitation under Section 18 for the entire admitted balance. The recovery suit is filed four months later — comfortably within the fresh period — and the acknowledgment email doubles as the suit's best evidence. Without it, the oldest invoices would have expired in eight weeks, and no court could have revived them.
Related practice areas
Statute prescribing the time within which different categories of suits, appeals, and applications must be filed. Suits filed beyond limitation are barred regardless of merit, subject to Section 5 condonation of delay.
Limitation Act 1963 is governed by Limitation Act 1963. The Limitation Act 1963 is the central statute on time-bar. Schedule I contains 137 articles prescribing different periods for different proceedings: Article 47 (suit on a contract — 3 years from breach); Article 65 (suit for possession of immovable property — 12 years from when possession of defendant becomes adverse); Article 113 (suit for which no period is prescribed — 3 years from accrual of right to sue); Article 136 (execution of decree — 12 years from decree). Section 5 allows condonation of delay for sufficient cause in appeals and applications (not suits). Section 14 excludes time spent prosecuting in wrong court.
Limitation Act 1963 falls under Civil Law, Criminal Law. NyaySevak matches you with a Bar-Council-verified advocate in the relevant practice area — your first step is a free case assessment with no obligation.
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