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NyayaAI

Limitation period calculator for Indian law

Enter the date the cause of action arose and the type of claim, and this returns the last day on which proceedings may be brought — together with the article it applied, the authority, and every step of the arithmetic, so you can check it against the bare Act.

How the calculation is done

This is date arithmetic against the schedule to the Limitation Act, 1963. It is not generated by a language model, and it does not guess. A hallucinated limitation date does not read as wrong — it reads as a diary entry, and the claim goes out of time.

Section 12(1) is applied first: the day from which the period is reckoned is excluded, so a three-year period running from a breach on 1 April 2024 runs from 2 April 2024 and ends on 1 April 2027.

Section 4 is applied last: where the final day falls on a day the court is closed, the period is extended to the day the court reopens. Sundays are treated as closed by default; court holidays are yours to supply, because they differ by court and by year and inventing a list would silently move your date.

Section 12(2) — the time requisite for obtaining a copy of the decree, judgment or award — is never inferred. Only the applicant knows it, so it is an input, not an assumption.

A condonable extension under section 5 or a statutory proviso is shown separately and is never added to the due date. Condonation is a discretion the court may exercise; treating it as time you have is how an appeal gets filed late on the strength of a number a tool printed.

Suits: limitation periods

ClaimPeriodRuns fromAuthority
Suit for compensation for breach of contract3 yearsThe date the contract is broken, or (where there are successive breaches) when the breach in respect of which the suit is instituted occurs.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 55
Suit for money lent3 yearsThe date the loan is made.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 19
Suit for the price of goods sold and delivered (no fixed credit period)3 yearsThe date of delivery of the goods.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 14
Suit for possession of immovable property based on title12 yearsThe date the defendant's possession becomes adverse to the plaintiff.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 65
Suit by the Government for possession of immovable property30 yearsThe date the period would begin to run under the Act against an ordinary plaintiff.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 112
Suit for compensation — residuary tort (no specific article)3 yearsThe date the right to sue accrues.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 113 (residuary)
Suit for compensation for libel1 yearThe date of publication of the libel.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 75
Suit for compensation for malicious prosecution1 yearThe date the plaintiff is acquitted, or the prosecution otherwise terminates.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 74
Suit for compensation for an act done in pursuance of a statute1 yearThe date of the act, or (where the injury continues) when it ceases.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 72

Appeals: limitation periods

ClaimPeriodRuns fromAuthority
Appeal from a decree or order to the High Court90 daysThe date of the decree or order appealed from.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 116(a)
Appeal from a decree or order to any court other than a High Court30 daysThe date of the decree or order appealed from.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 116(b)
Appeal from an order of acquittal to the High Court90 daysThe date of the order appealed from.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 114(a)
Appeal from an order of acquittal to any other court30 daysThe date of the order appealed from.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 114(b)
Special leave petition against a High Court judgment90 daysThe date of the judgment or order of the High Court.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 133(a)

Execution: limitation periods

ClaimPeriodRuns fromAuthority
Execution of a decree (other than one granting a mandatory injunction)12 yearsThe date the decree becomes enforceable (or, for periodic payments, when the default occurs).Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 136

Criminal: limitation periods

ClaimPeriodRuns fromAuthority
Cheque dishonour — notice and complaint windows (s.138 NI Act)No fixed periodThe date the payee receives information from the bank that the cheque has been returned unpaid.Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 — s.138 provisos (b) and (c), s.142(1)(b)

Consumer: limitation periods

ClaimPeriodRuns fromAuthority
Consumer complaint2 yearsThe date on which the cause of action arises.Consumer Protection Act, 2019 — s.69(1)
Appeal to the State Consumer Commission45 daysThe date of the order of the District Commission.Consumer Protection Act, 2019 — s.41
Appeal to the National Consumer Commission30 daysThe date of the order of the State Commission.Consumer Protection Act, 2019 — s.51

Tribunals: limitation periods

ClaimPeriodRuns fromAuthority
Appeal to the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal60 daysThe date of receipt of the direction, decision or order of the Authority or adjudicating officer.Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 — s.44(2)
Appeal to the High Court from the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal60 daysThe date of communication of the decision or order of the Appellate Tribunal.Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 — s.58

Arbitration: limitation periods

ClaimPeriodRuns fromAuthority
Application to set aside an arbitral award3 monthsThe date the party making the application received the award (or disposal of a s.33 request for correction).Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — s.34(3)
Claim referable to arbitration (underlying cause of action)3 yearsThe date the right to apply accrues.Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 137, read with s.43 Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996

Writ jurisdiction: limitation periods

ClaimPeriodRuns fromAuthority
Writ petition under Article 226No fixed periodThe date of the impugned action or its knowledge.Constitution of India — Article 226 (no statutory period)

Frequently asked questions

What is the limitation period for a suit for breach of contract in India?

Three years under Article 55 of the Limitation Act, 1963, running from the date the contract is broken, or where there are successive breaches, from the breach in respect of which the suit is brought. Section 12(1) excludes the day of the breach itself.

Does an acknowledgment of debt restart the limitation period?

A written acknowledgment signed before the period expires starts a fresh period from the date of the acknowledgment under section 18, and part payment does the same under section 19. Neither revives a period that has already run out.

What happens if the last day falls on a court holiday?

Section 4 extends the period to the day the court reopens. The calculator applies this and shows both the raw last day and the adjusted one, so you can see what moved and why.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is a calculation you can check, and it shows its workings precisely so that you can. Verify the article against the bare Act and confirm your court's rules before relying on any date.

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