Limitation Act, 1963 – Bare Act PDF Download
The Limitation Act, 1963 is an important Indian legislation that prescribes the time limits within which suits, appeals and applications must be filed before courts. It establishes rules for computing limitation periods and addresses circumstances such as legal disability, fraud, acknowledgment of liability and exclusion of time spent in certain legal proceedings.
The Act is particularly relevant to law students studying civil procedure, contract law, property law and litigation. It helps determine whether a legal proceeding has been instituted within the period prescribed by law.
Limitation Act, 1963 – Overview
- Act Name: Limitation Act, 1963
- Act Number: 36 of 1963
- Enactment Date: 5 October 1963
- Date of Enforcement: 1 January 1964
- Jurisdiction: India
- Subject: Limitation periods for suits, appeals and applications
These details are available on the official India Code portal
Chapters and Sections of the Limitation Act, 1963
The Act is divided into five Parts, followed by a Schedule that prescribes limitation periods for different categories of suits, appeals and applications.
Part I – Preliminary (Sections 1–2)
Covers the short title, extent, commencement and definitions used in the Act.
Part II – Limitation of Suits, Appeals and Applications (Sections 3–11)
Deals with the bar of limitation, closure of courts, extension of prescribed periods in certain cases, legal disability, continuous running of time and related matters.
Part III – Computation of Period of Limitation (Sections 12–24)
Addresses the computation of limitation periods, exclusion of time in specified proceedings, fraud or mistake, written acknowledgment, payment on account of debt, continuing breaches and related rules.
Part IV – Acquisition of Ownership by Possession (Sections 25–27)
Deals with acquisition of easements by prescription, certain exclusions in favour of reversioners and extinguishment of rights to property.
Part V – Miscellaneous (Sections 28–32)
Contains miscellaneous provisions, including savings and transitional provisions. Sections 28 and 32 are shown as repealed in the official text.
The Schedule
The Schedule prescribes limitation periods for different kinds of suits, appeals and applications. It is an essential part of the Act for identifying the applicable period in a particular matter.
Important Sections of the Limitation Act, 1963
Section 3 – Bar of Limitation: Requires suits, appeals and applications filed after the prescribed period to be dismissed, subject to the Act’s provisions.
Section 5 – Extension of Prescribed Period in Certain Cases: Permits certain appeals and applications to be admitted after the prescribed period where sufficient cause is established, subject to the section’s scope and exclusions.
Section 6 – Legal Disability: Provides rules concerning limitation where a person entitled to institute a suit or make a specified application is under a recognised legal disability.
Section 14 – Exclusion of Time of Proceeding Bona Fide in Court Without Jurisdiction: Provides for exclusion of qualifying time spent pursuing proceedings in good faith and with due diligence before a court unable to entertain them because of a jurisdictional defect or a similar cause.
Section 17 – Effect of Fraud or Mistake: Addresses when limitation begins in specified cases involving fraud, mistake or concealment of relevant documents.
Section 18 – Effect of Acknowledgment in Writing: Provides for computation of a fresh limitation period when the statutory requirements for a written acknowledgment are satisfied before the existing period expires.
Section 19 – Effect of Payment on Account of Debt: Addresses the effect of qualifying payments made before the expiry of the prescribed limitation period.
Section 27 – Extinguishment of Right to Property: Provides for extinguishment of the right to property in the circumstances specified by the section.
Download the Limitation Act, 1963 Bare Act PDF
You can read and download the Limitation Act, 1963 from the official Government of India legislation portal.
Official sources:
For legal research and court-related work, consult the applicable statutory text and amendments before relying on a limitation period. The period varies according to the nature of the proceeding and the relevant entry in the Schedule.
