PARTITION ACT, 1893
(AMENDED UPTO 2019)
[Act, No. 4 of 1893]
[9thMarch, 1893]
PREAMBLE
AN ACT to
amend the Law relating to Partition
WHEREAS it is expedient to amend the law relating to partition; It is
hereby enacted as follows:--
Section 1 - Title, extent and saving
(1)
This Act may
be called the Partition Act, 1893.
(2)
It extends
to the whole of India [1] [***]; [2][***];
[3] [* * * * *]
(4) ? But
nothing herein contained shall be deemed to affect any local law providing for
the partition of immoveable property paying revenue to Government.
Section 2 - Power to court to order sale instead of division in partition suits
Whenever
in any suit for partition in which, if instituted prior to the commencement of
this Act, a decree for partition might have been made, it appears to the court
that, by reason of the nature of the properly to which the suit relates, or of
the number of the shareholders therein, or of any other special circumstance, a
division of the property cannot reasonably or conveniently be made, and that a
sale of the property and distribution of the proceeds would be more beneficial
for all the shareholders, the court may, if it thinks fit, on the request of
any of such shareholders interested individually or collectively to the extent
of one moiety or upwards, direct a sale of the property and a distribution of
the proceeds.
Section 3 - Procedure when sharer undertakes to buy
(1)
If, in any
case in which the court is requested under the last foregoing section to direct
a sale, any other shareholder applies for leave to buy at a valuation the share
or shares of the party or parties asking for a sale, the court shall order a
valuation of the share or shares in such manner as it may think fit and offer
to sell the same to such shareholder at the price so ascertained, and may give
all necessary and proper directions in that behalf.
(2)
If two or
more shareholders severally apply for leave to buy as provided in sub-section
(1), the court shall order a sale of the share or shares to the shareholder who
offers to pay the highest price above the valuation made by the court.
(3)
If no such
shareholder is willing to buy such share or shares at the price so ascertained,
the applicant or applicants shall be liable to pay all costs of or incident to
the application or applications.
Section 4 - Partition suit by transferee of share in dwelling-house.
(1)
Where a
share of a dwelling-house belonging to an undivided family has been transferred
to a person who is not a member of such family and such transferee sues for
partition, the court shall, if any member of the family being a shareholder
shall undertake to buy the share of such transferee, make a valuation of such
share in such manner as it thinks fit and direct the sale of such share to such
shareholder, and may give all necessary and proper directions in that behalf.
(2)
If in any
case described in sub-section (!) two or more members of the family being such
shareholders severally undertake to buy such share, the court shall follow the
procedure prescribed by sub-section (2) of the last foregoing section.
Section 5 - Representation of parties under disability
In
any suit for partition a request for sale may be made or an undertaking, or
application for leave, to buy may be given or made on behalf of any party under
disability by any person authorised to act on behalf of such party in such
suit, but the court shall not be bound to comply with any such request,
undertaking or application unless it is of opinion that the sale or purchase
will be for the benefit of the party under such disability.
Section 6 - Reserved bidding and bidding by shareholders
(1)
Every sale
under section 2 shall be subject to a reserved bidding, and the amount of such
bidding shall be fixed by the court in such manner as it may think fit and may
be varied from time to time.
(2)
On any such
sale any of the shareholders shall be at liberty to bid at the sale on such
terms as to non-payment of deposit or as to setting off or accounting for the
purchase-money or any part thereof instead of paying the same as to the court
may seem reasonable.
(3)
If two or
more persons, of whom one is a shareholder in the property, respectively
advance the same sum at any bidding at such sale, such bidding shall be deemed
to be the bidding of the shareholder.
Section 7 - Procedure to be followed in case of sales
Save as hereinbefore provided,
when any property is directed to be sold under this Act, the following
procedure shall, as far as practicable, be adopted, namely:--
(a)
if the
property be sold under a decree or order of the High Court of Calcutta, Madras
or Bombay, in the exercise of its original jurisdiction,[4][***] the procedure of such court in its original civil jurisdiction for
the sale of property by the Registrar;
(b)
if the
property be sold under a decree or order of any other court, such procedure as
the High Court may from time to time by rules prescribe in this behalf, and
until such rules-art made the procedure prescribed in the Code of Civil
Procedure[5]in respect of sales in execution of decrees.
Section 8 - Orders for sale to be deemed decrees
Any order
for sale made by the court under section 2, 3 or 4 shall be deemed to be a
decree within the meaning of section 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure (14 of
1882).
Section 9 - Saving of power to order partly partition and partly sale
In any suit
for partition the court may, if it shall think fit, make a decree for a
partition of part of the property to which the suit relates and a sale of the
remainder under this Act.
Section 10 - Application of Act to pending suits
This Act
shall apply to suits instituted before the commencement thereof, in which no
scheme for the partition of the partition has been finally approved by the
court.
[1] Omitted by the Jammu and
Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
?except the State
of Jammu and Kashmir?
[2] The word "and"
at the end of sub-section (2), and sub-section (3) omitted by Repealing and
Amending Act, 1914, section 3 and Schedule II.
[3] The word "and"
at the end of sub-section (2), and sub-section (3) omitted by Repealing and
Amending Act,1914, section 3 and Schedule II.
[4] The words "or of the
Court of the Recorder of Rangoon" omitted by the Government of India
(Adaptation of Indian Laws) Order, 1937.
[5] Now the Code of Civil
Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908).