Mastering the Specific Relief Act, 1963: A Concise Guide with Key Sections & Timeline for Judicial Services Examination

 

Mastering the Specific Relief Act, 1963: A Concise Guide with Key Sections & Timeline for Judicial Services Examination:

🧾 Overview

• Objective: To define and amend the law relating to specific reliefs in civil matters.

• Nature: It deals with granting specific relief—which means actual enforcement of civil rights through specific performance, injunctions, etc.

• Applies to: Whole of India (J&K included since 2019).

• Came into force: 1st March, 1964 (as per Central Government notification).

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🔑 Key Provisions (Topic-wise Overview)

PART I – Preliminary

• Section 1–4:

  • S. 1: Short title, extent, and commencement.

  • S. 2: Definitions (Obligation, Trust, Settlement).

  • S. 4: Only individual civil rights are enforceable, not penal laws.

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PART II – Specific Relief

📌 Chapter I – Recovery of Possession

• S. 5: Recovery of immovable property.

• S. 6: Suit against unlawful dispossession (within 6 months).

• S. 7-8: Recovery of movable property.

📌 Chapter II – Specific Performance of Contracts

• S. 9: Defences under contract law available.

• S. 10: Contracts enforceable—now mandatory, not discretionary (Amendment 2018).

• S. 11–13: Special cases (Trusts, Part performance, Imperfect title).

• S. 14: Contracts not enforceable (e.g. continuous duties, determinable contracts).

• S. 14A: Expert opinion by court.

• S. 15–19: Who can seek/enforce specific performance.

• S. 20: Substituted performance allowed (Post-2018).

• S. 20A–20C: Infrastructure contracts—no injunctions, special courts, and time-bound trial (within 12 months).

• S. 21–24: Compensation, refund of earnest money, bar on suit for compensation post-dismissal.

📌 Chapter III–VI: Other Specific Reliefs

• S. 26: Rectification of instrument.

• S. 27–30: Rescission of contracts.

• S. 31–33: Cancellation of instruments.

• S. 34–35: Declaratory decrees.

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PART III – Preventive Relief (Injunctions)

📌 Chapter VII – Injunctions Generally

• S. 36–37: Temporary and Perpetual injunctions.

📌 Chapter VIII – Perpetual & Mandatory Injunctions

• S. 38: When perpetual injunction is granted.

• S. 39: Mandatory injunctions.

• S. 40: Damages with or instead of injunction.

• S. 41: Situations where injunctions are refused.

• S. 42: Negative agreements—injunctions enforceable.

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🕰️ Timeline Highlights

Year	Amendment/Event
1963	Act enacted (Act No. 47 of 1963)
1 Mar 1964	Enforced via notification
2018	Major amendment: Made specific performance mandatory (Section 10), added substituted performance (Section 20), created Special Courts and provisions for infrastructure contracts
2019	Applicability extended to Jammu & Kashmir (post abrogation of Article 370)

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🔍 Important Sections to Remember for Judiciary Exams

• S. 6: Dispossession without due process—suit maintainable.

• S. 10: Specific performance—no longer discretionary.

• S. 14: Exceptions—contracts not specifically enforceable.

• S. 20: Substituted performance.

• S. 20C: Suit to be disposed within 12 months.

• S. 38 & 39: Injunctions.

• S. 41: Grounds for refusing injunctions.

• S. 42: Enforcement of negative covenants.